Abstract
Adequate nutrition is essential for a healthy growth. Research has shown how important
it is for a child to have the necessary nutrients for growth and development. Breakfast is
considered the most important meal of the day and it is very important for a child as it
contains nutrients essential for good mental growth, and also learning outcomes. I used
qualitative research methods to investigate the relationship between eating breakfast and
academic performance using Wuro Hausa Primary School as my case study.
I had a total sample size (n) of 90 students. I used a random number generator
application to generate my subjects. My results showed a significant relationship
between frequency of breakfast consumption and academic performance. The results
illustrated that as the frequency of breakfast consumption increases, the better a child
performs academically. My data was collected over a period of 14 days. The results also
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showed a relationship between the age of the chi
Introduction
When it comes to living a healthy and long life and most importantly having a functional
brain activity, nutrition is very essential. Nutrition, in common terms, can be referred to
ways through which one obtains the food which is required for proper health and
growth. For a child, it is very important that he/she eats the right food at the right time in
order to obtain the necessary nutrients required for growth. Poor feeding or nutrition
contributes greatly to diseases people face especially in children (Badri, 2014).
Nutrition is an important aspect in a child’s life. A child who is malnourished or does
not feed well tends to be backwards when it comes interaction and learning. When a
child eats properly, the nutrients obtained from that meal fosters a good and well
balanced physical, social and mental state of mind and wellbeing hence leading to the
child’s increase in self-esteem (Badri, 2014). Proper nutrition aids a child’s brain
activities. A child who is malnourished at the age of 3 years will most likely exhibit a
diminished mental state when compared with peers at age 11 (Florence, Asbridge, &
Veugelers, 2008). Poor nutrition leads to an increase in levels of absenteeism in school.
This is so because the body becomes really weak and its capacity to resist and combat
diseases has been reduced. So due to this, children do not go to school or if they do, they
have little to no interest in learning and participating in school tasks (Pertz & Putnam,
1982). According to the United Nation World Food Program (WFP), almost 60 million
kids in developing nations go to school hungry every passing day and about 40% of
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those kids are Africans (WFP, 2010). Poor nutrition in children leads situations like
stunted growth, anemia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Vitamin A in Children
Vitamin A is one the key nutrients when it comes to a child’s growth and development.
This nutrient is commonly found in foods like eggs, vegetables, milk, meat and also
fruits. Vitamin A is important for vision and also brain development. It is very necessary
for a child to eat foods containing vitamin A in order to avoid complications such as
Vitamin A deficiency and also for that child to grow well both mentally and physically.
Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) as the called is caused by lack of vitamin A. According to
UNICEF, preventable childhood blindness is mainly caused by VAD, as it is the leading
factor. VAD also increases the death risks of children from diarrhea (UNICEF, 2015).
ADHD in Children
Iron is a nutrient that plays vital roles in numerous molecules found the brain and also
the nervous system (N.S). A deficiency in this nutrient in the brain has proven to have a
vast effect on the intellect and behavioral patterns of a child (Sizer & Whitney, 2013).
Children who experience iron deficiency tend to demonstrate behavioral and also
physical symptoms which include weakness, feeling sick, acting withdrawn from peers,
sad and sometimes even depressed (Sizer & Whitney, 2013). Iron deficiency leads to
ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). This was formally called ADD which
stands for Attention Deficit Disorder. This disorder comes with such symptoms as lack
of attentiveness and hyperactivity. These symptoms may differ from person to person
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and both children and adults can develop the disorder. Iron deficiency is one of the most
common form of malnutrition in the world. It is very common in Asia and also Africa. It
arises from taking in foods that are relatively low in iron at early stages in life.
Breastmilk is the main source of iron for infants. When constantly giving cow milk to a
child, it increases his/her tendencies of being iron deficient (Moy & Early, 1999). Asides
ADHD, other outcomes of iron deficiency may include stunted growth, slow and
delayed cognitive growth and poor performance in school (Moy & Early, 1999). As
shown in the figure below, iron deficiency is much more common in children within the
age range of 1-2 years. It is less common as children start to grow.
Figure 1. How common Iron Deficiency is in Children. (source: Looker et al, 1997).
Food is very important for learning as it provides energy. Nutrition and learning can be
related directly and indirectly. An indirect relationship is when the food affects the
learning capacity of the brain and body while the direct relationship is when the diet
affect the development of the nervous system. It is important that these two relationships
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are developed positively in a child. Caloric deficit in a child’s early stages in life results
in a reduction in certain activities like interactions with peers (Pertz & Putnam, 1982).
It is important that a child eats at least three times in a day, breakfast most importantly.
Certain effects on cognitive development, academic performance, attendance, social and
also psychological function in children have been associated with skipping/missing
breakfast (Rampersaud, 2005) Eating breakfast has been associated with outcomes such
as better school performance and attendance, improved social and also mental activities,
fitness and then a better and healthier weight (Grantham-McGregor, 2005).
Breakfast has a significantly high contribution to the nutrient and also energy intake
daily. In India, children within the age range of 10-15 years were able to meet about one
quarter (1/4) of one third (1/3) of the daily energy and protein consumed from that
breakfast meal (Uma Chitra, 2007). This is to say that, if a child misses breakfast, that
child misses out on a significant amount of energy and nutrients for that day thus
causing weakness and inability to learn properly in school. Breakfast can also add to a
child’s body mass index (BMI). Two reports have shown that children (and also
adolescents) who consume breakfast stand a lower chance of being overweight or
stunted (Szajewska and Ruszczynski, 2010; de la Hunty et al., 2013).
Children who go to school hungry tend to have a lower interest level when it comes to
learning compared to children who eat a healthy breakfast before coming to school.
Their mental, social, cognitive and physical functions reduce and this can, in most cases,
lead to an increase in school absenteeism (Read, 1973). It is only common sense to
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realize that it is quite unreasonable for anyone let alone a child be able to study or even
learn when no fuel whatsoever has been provided. Even a child who eats before going to
school may experience some sort of hunger by late morning. Children who are very
much underfed will definitely suffer more.
Children in particular, are much more vulnerable when it comes to the effects of
breakfast on the brain. Adults have a much lower glucose metabolism in brain compared
to children. From the age of 10 years, the high brain glucose metabolism starts to decline
(Chugani, 1998). On average, the cerebral blood flow and use of oxygen in children aged
3-11 is 1.8 and 1.3 times higher than that of adults respectively (Kennedy and Sokoloff,
1957; Chiron et al., 1992). There is a higher rate of depletion of glycogen in children
during overnight sleep due the relatively higher demands of sleep compared to adults
(Thorleifsdottir et al., 2002). Now, in order to maintain this high rate of metabolism, a
constant supply of energy gotten from glucose is needed and that is why it may be
important for a child to eat breakfast in order to have enough energy for the morning.
Behavior is a key determinant to cognitive and learning abilities. This is so because a
child’s behavior determines whether or not he or she is ready to listen and carry out the
tasks given in class. When a child eats breakfast before coming to school, the behavior
towards carrying out an in-class task increases. In-class behavior is very important for
school performance because it is like a prerequisite for a child to stay focused and right
on track in class (Adolphus, Lawton, & Dye, 2013).
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Breakfast meals should contain a reasonable amount protein (e.g eggs) and iron (e.g
milk). A child who is continuously being fed rice in the morning will not get the
nutrients another child will get when having milk and eggs. The Food Consumption and
Nutrition Survey in Nigeria (FCSN 2001-2003) showed that nutritional status in the
county is quite bad. The data revealed that about 42% of children in Nigeria were
stunted, about 25% were shown to be underweight and about 9% were wasting away.
About 29.5% under age 5 suffered from vitamin A deficiency while well over 27% were
at various stages of iron and also iodine deficiency (Maziya-dixon et al, 2004). Iron
deficiency is a serious problem most especially in children. A child who always has rice
for breakfast will always be missing out on iron nutrients compared to a child who eats
eggs and bacon (or beef).
The performance of a child on an exam may also be affected by how the child eats (Kim
et al., 2003). Food provides energy and a child who doesn’t eat before writing an exam
should not be expected to perform well. A child of 5 years who does not eat breakfast
before going to school and has an exam that day is likely to not pass because the brain
will be weak and the body as well. Due to this, that child may lose all interest in the
exam.
There have been so many studies conducted in order to prove the relationship between
nutrition and academic performance but these studies barely investigate the serious
effects of breakfast on behavior. Academic performance is not independent. It is affected
by the behavior of a child. So therefore, if a child goes to school hungry, the behavior of
that child towards education will not be positive thus, leading to the child’s low
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academic performance. However, studying this maybe be quiet difficult and
complications regarding the measures to be used in for assessing the behavior of a child
may arise.
Yes, it is widely known that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but that is
just always where it stops. There are assumptions however, breakfast consumption can
be related to a child’s academic performance. Studies have been made but it is still
unclear how the two are related. Some studies have shown that there is, some have not
and others say there are other factors that affect a child’s academic performance much
more. I was privileged to work with some primary school students for a community
service project in a local school and that was what I noticed. The main things we
concentrated as the problem for low academic performance of the kids were lack of
reading and writing materials, inadequate learning infrastructures and also lack of
qualified teachers (Nde, unpublished data). We never considered hunger as part of the
problem and that is why this study was conducted.
There have been very few studies that show a relationship between eating breakfast and
academic performance in Africa. Most of the literatures reviewed were studies carried
outside Africa thus the purpose of this research. This research focuses on how breakfast
can or may be related to a child’s academic performance in Africa. As clearly stated
above, breakfast is an important meal and it is expected that a child should have this
every morning to enable good growth and development. It is important for people to be
aware that breakfast plays an important role in the academic life of a child.
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In this study, I investigated the relationship between eating breakfast and academic
performance of children at a primary school in the northeastern Nigeria. I expected that
children who eat breakfast before going to school would perform better academically
than those who do not eat breakfast. I also investigated how age comes into play when it
comes to the relationship between eating breakfast and academic performance. The data
was obtained qualitatively in the form of structured and semi-structured interviews. The
sample size was a total of 120 children. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS
(Statistical Package for Social Sciences).
Figure 2. A poster stating importance of breakfast for kids and breakfast tips.
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(source: ohioactionforhealthykids.org)
“One in six school children skip breakfast leaving them tired
and disruptive in class.”
Breakfast Times.
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AIMS & OBJECTIVES
Aims:
To investigate the relationship between eating breakfast and children’s academic
performance in the Wuro Hausa Primary School Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria.
Null Hypothesis (H0): There is no difference between the academic performance of
children who eat breakfast and children who do not.
Research Hypothesis (H1): There is a difference in the academic performance of
children who eat breakfast and those who do not.
Objectives:
• To determine the frequency of breakfast eating of the children
• To find out if the school has a School Feeding Program (SFP)
• To determine the academic performance of the children
• To determine the relationship between academic performance and frequency of
breakfast consumption
• To find out if age has an effect on the relationship between eating breakfast and
academic performance
• To find out the socio economic status of the children’s families if possible.
• Using results to make recommendations to parents and also to schools.