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Nutrition on Academic Performance

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Nutrition on Academic Performance
April Creed
April 12, 2012
GWRTC 103
Professor Critzer
The Effect of Nutrition and Fitness on Academic Performance The health and overall fitness of adolescents and students has taken a radical turn in the most recent decades. Each year the overall body mass index of this particular group of individuals is steadily increasing. It seems to many that one’s health is a vital role in success, especially in the academic realm. Research was conducted to see whether this slight decrease of fitness and health has an impact on a student’s academic performance (Burkhalter 201). A broad range of sources was utilized to find other factors that played a role in academic performance such as family life and sleep habits. The search was then strictly narrowed down to the effect of nutrition and fitness on scholastic performance. By the end of the investigation, it was found that nutrition is vital to brain functioning and cognition. The main point that was targeted became: skipped meals are the largest cause of unhealthy habits in a student’s academic career, but this can be prevented by providing more food options for students and also by not having available classes during meal hours. This seems like a cliché issue and obvious topic, but this simple subject can have a huge impact on the lives of our adolescents, but more importantly the future of our country. Children, adolescents, and young adults are constantly bombarded with assessments, evaluations, and exams that test their knowledge. All of these, combined with everyday lectures and studying, form to make what society knows as “school.” In today’s culture, from roughly four years old until about twenty-three years old, schooling (pre-school, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college) is a young person’s career. It is a time consuming process that involves commitment and dedication.
Many factors play a role in how well a student performs. The most thought of, and prominent factors



Cited: Burkhalter, Toni M., and Charles H. Hillman. "A Narrative Review of Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity to Cognition and Scholastic Performance across the Human Lifespan." Advances in Nutrition 2.2 (2011): 201-06. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Edwards, Jane U. "Relationship of Nutrition and Physical Activity Behaviors and Fitness Measures to Academic Performance for Sixth Graders in a Midwest City School District." Journal of School Health 81.2 (2011): 65-69. SPORTDiscus. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Eliasson, Arne H. "Early to Bed, Early to Rise! Sleep Habits and Academic Performance in College Students." Sleep and Breathing 14.1 (2009): 71-75. ScienceDirect. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Estes, Cathy. "Student Responsibility Needs to Be nurtured." LasVegasSun.com. 8 Apr. 2009. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. <http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/apr/08/student-responsibility-needs-be-nurtured/>. Florence, M. D. "Diet Quality and Academic Performance." Journal of School Health 78.4 (2008): 209-215. CINAHL. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Ghazyini, Sayid D. "Gender Differences in Factors Affecting Academic Performance of High School Students." 3rd World Conference on Educational Sciences 15.3 (2011): 1040-045. ScienceDirect. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Rampersaud, Gail C. "Breakfast Habits, Nutritional Status, Body Weight, and Academic Performance in Children and Adolescents." Journal of the American Dietetic Association 105.5 (2005): 743-760. ScienceDirect. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Taras, H. "Nutrition and School Performance." Journal of School Health 75.6 (2005): 199-213. CINAHL. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Than, Ker. "Brains of Young Adults Not Fully Mature." LiveScience.com. 6 Feb. 2006. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. <http://www.livescience.com/7005-brains-young-adults-fully-mature.html>. Williams, Wanda A. “The Connection Between Family Life and School Achievement.” Test Scores, School Performance, and Parenting Issues: Assuring Academic Achievement. (1994): 1-18. ERIC. Web. 19 Mar. 2012.

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