Association between Unhealthful Eating Patterns and Unfavorable Overall School Performance in Children

The objective of this article is to evaluate the relationship between children’s unhealthful eating patterns and overall school performance. The Nutrition and Health survey in Taiwan Elementary School Children, 2001-2002, was carried out by using a multistaged complex sampling design. A total of 2,222 elementary school children who had complete data on demographics, anthropometrics, diet and lifestyle, and overall school performance were included in the analyses. Differences in characteristics between children with favorable and unfavorable overall performance were compared using t test and χ2 test. Using factor analysis, food frequency of 22 food groups was grouped into five factors, which were used to construct dietary patterns. The association between dietary patterns and unfavorable overall performance was assessed by multiple logistic regression after adjustment for known risk factors. Prevalence of unfavorable overall performance in Taiwanese elementary school children was 7.1%. Unfavorable overall school performance was positively associated with unhealthful eating patterns, which included high intake of low-quality foods (eg, sweets and fried foods) and low intake of dairy products and highly nutrient-dense foods (eg, vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, and eggs). Children with a greater number of unhealthful eating patterns were more at risk for unfavorable overall performance in school. The study shows that children with unfavorable overall school performance were more likely to eat sweets and fried foods, and were less likely to eat foods rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. A potential relationship between eating patterns and unfavorable overall school performance is supported by a positive relationship between frequency of food intake and food preferences in our study.