Diet quality and academic achievement: a prospective study among primary school children.
OBJECTIVE
Poor diet quality may impair academic achievement in children, but such evidence is limited. Therefore, we investigated the associations of healthy diet in Grade 1 assessed by Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), Baltic Sea Diet Score (BSDS), and Finnish Children Healthy Eating Index (FCHEI) with academic achievement in Grades 1-3 in children.


METHODS
The participants were 161 Finnish children who were 6-8 years old in Grade 1 and attended in a large ongoing physical activity and dietary intervention study. Dietary factors were assessed using 4-day food records, and MDS, BSDS, and FCHEI were calculated. Academic achievement was assessed by reading fluency, reading comprehension, and arithmetic skill tests. The data were analyzed using linear regression analysis and analysis of covariance adjusted for age, sex, parental education, household income, body fat percentage, physical activity, the PANIC Study group, and total energy intake.


RESULTS
MDS was positively associated with reading comprehension in Grade 3 (standardized regression coefficient β = 0.167, P = 0.032). BSDS was positively associated with reading fluency in Grades 2-3 and reading comprehension in Grades 1-3 (β = 0.161-0.274, P < 0.05). FCHEI was positively related to reading fluency in Grades 1-2 and reading comprehension in Grades 1-3 (β = 0.190-0.344, P < 0.05). Children in the highest third of BSDS and FCHEI had better reading fluency and reading comprehension in Grades 1-3 than children in the lowest third (P < 0.05). None of the diet scores was associated with arithmetic skills.


CONCLUSIONS
Healthier diet assessed by BSDS or FCHEI in Grade 1 was associated with better reading skills, but not with arithmetic skills, among children in Grades 1-3. Long-term intervention studies are needed to investigate the effects of improvements in diet quality on academic achievement among children.


BACKGROUND
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01803776.
Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland. eero.haapala@uef.fi.|Childhoold Health and Active Living Research Group, Department of Biology of Physical Activity, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland. eero.haapala@uef.fi.
Eero A
EA
Haapala
Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland.
Aino-Maija
AM
Eloranta
Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland.|Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Taisa
T
Venäläinen
Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland.
Henna
H
Jalkanen
Department of Teacher Education, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
Anna-Maija
AM
Poikkeus
Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
Timo
T
Ahonen
Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland.
Virpi
V
Lindi
Institute of Biomedicine/Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland.|Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital and University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.|Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine, Kuopio, Finland.
Timo A
TA
Lakka
D000076363:Academic Success; D000886:Anthropometry; D002648:Child; D000072001:Diet, Healthy; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012574:Schools; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044465:White People
Academic achievement; Brain; Children; Diet; Diet quality; Learning