title: Association between dietary intake and 'school-valued' outcomes: a scoping review.
abstract: Approximately one in four Australian children aged 5-17 years are overweight or obese. Most of the health effects of overweight and obesity in childhood do not eventuate until into adulthood; therefore, motivation for children to have a healthy diet may be low. This scoping review examined the literature for associations between diet quality in 5-18 year olds and 'school-valued' outcomes including student attendance, academic performance, behaviour at school and mental health. A literature search for studies that assessed dietary intake and at least one 'school-valued' outcome in schoolchildren, in highly developed countries was conducted. After applying selection criteria, 35 studies were included examining academic performance (46%), behaviour (11%), mental health (31%) and 11% examining two of these outcomes each. No relevant studies addressed attendance. In general, dietary factors including consumption of fruit and vegetables, discretionary foods and/or beverages, or overall diet quality, were suggested to be correlates of the 'school-valued' outcomes. However, the evidence is not comprehensive. This review elucidates the extent and nature of available literature, and provides a basis for future research where the potential benefits of diet on 'school-valued' outcomes can be thoroughly explored.
authors.affiliation: School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: H S K
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Healthy Kids Association, Suite 104, 16-18 Cambridge St, Epping, NSW 2121, Australia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.affiliation: School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nicholson
mesh_terms: D000076363:Academic Success; D001315:Australia; D001628:Beverages; D002648:Child; D000072001:Diet, Healthy; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012574:Schools; D014675:Vegetables