Health Food and Academic Performance Among School Children (Case Study Sample)

Health Food
Name
Institution

Health Food
Table of Contents
 TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u HYPERLINK \l "_Toc448852311"Summary  PAGEREF _Toc448852311 \h
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HYPERLINK \l "_Toc448852312"Introduction  PAGEREF _Toc448852312 \h
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HYPERLINK \l "_Toc448852313"Purpose  PAGEREF _Toc448852313 \h
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HYPERLINK \l "_Toc448852314"Scope  PAGEREF _Toc448852314 \h
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HYPERLINK \l "_Toc448852315"Sources and Methods  PAGEREF _Toc448852315 \h
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HYPERLINK \l "_Toc448852316"Limitations and Assumptions  PAGEREF _Toc448852316 \h
3
HYPERLINK \l "_Toc448852317"Background  PAGEREF _Toc448852317 \h
3
HYPERLINK \l "_Toc448852318"Nutrition and Recognition  PAGEREF _Toc448852318 \h
3
HYPERLINK \l "_Toc448852319"Health Issues  PAGEREF _Toc448852319 \h
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HYPERLINK \l "_Toc448852320"Food Insufficiency  PAGEREF _Toc448852320 \h
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HYPERLINK \l "_Toc448852321"Conclusion  PAGEREF _Toc448852321 \h
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HYPERLINK \l "_Toc448852322"Recommendations  PAGEREF _Toc448852322 \h
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HYPERLINK \l "_Toc448852323"References  PAGEREF _Toc448852323 \h
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Summary
Health food is important in many schools and should be encouraged to cut cases of obesity and other health complications that may affect children that affect their academic performance. Many parents have become conscious on health foods that their children take at home and back in school. More so, health foods have been linked to academic performance among students in schools. This proposal will look at the importance of healthy food in improving students’ performance in schools. The proposal will provide recommendations in the end.
Introduction
Purpose
The proposal investigates the benefits of health food and academic performance among the school children.
Scope
The proposal will cover the relationship between health food and academic performance in schools and to the extent it improves the performance (Finkelstein et al., 2008). The proposal will detail the recommendations that should be undertaken to promote healthy food in schools and other institutions. Finally, the paper will give conclusions.
Sources and Methods
The proposal will use both primary and secondary to find information on the topic. Sampling method will be used where questionnaires will be administered among the selected schools through random sampling method.
Limitations and Assumptions
One of the main limitations of the study is that it does not use different methods of research to boost the accuracy and reliability of the results.
One assumption is that there is direct relationship between health food and academic performance among school children.
Background
In the recent years, the strong setting strongly affects the behavior, and the health food and well-being of the learners. It is estimated that more than 55 million children that are enrolled in elementary or secondary school and they consume food sold in schools. In 2010, it was estimated that over one-third of the United States children and adolescents were obese or overweight. There has been a worrying trend that these children take junk foods that are poor in health, which impacts their health, hence their academic performance. Regrettably, some important of the present school meals, other foods at school, as well as environmental factors are resulting in obesity and failing to support good nutrition along with physical activity behaviors. Recent studies have demonstrated that nutrition impacts learner’s academic performance (Jyoti et al., 2005).
Nutrition and Recognition
The associations between nutrition, as well as brain function are and have been the focus of research. Many studies have demonstrated the effect of dietary foundations on normal brain functioning. Food has a role with affecting the cognitive functioning of school-children. This implies that health food is important in promoting brain function. There is direct correlation between unhealthy food and decreased school performance. Junk foods that are unhealthy do not have adequate iron and iron has been shown to play a vital role in brain function (Finkelstein et al., 2008). Low scores in concentration tests have been attributed to lower levels of iron in the bodies. Low levels of iron have been associated with short attention span, especially with memory. Unhealthy foods do not have enough proteins that are important for building body tissues. This implies that absence of protein results in poor school performance by children and makes school children to be lethargic, passive and withdrawn that will affect both social along with emotional development. Additionally, inadequate carbohydrates can lead to dizziness, as well as mental function, which may affect cognitive performance among children attending schools. All this will affect the academic performance of the children in schools. Therefore, healthy food is important in normal brain functioning that boosts cognitive development and stability, hence improved academic performance (Halterman et al., 2001).
Health Issues
Health food promotes good health among children attending school. When children take health food, they will have good health and they will attend school without a problem, hence performing well in school. On the other side, children who take unhealthy food, usually perform dismally in school because they will not concentrate fully in school and in most cases, they are absent from school. The major that has become pandemic in the US is obesity. Obesity has been linked to unhealthy food among children. Many children take a lot of calories and at the same time not expending enough calories. Children who become obese or overweight will likely to develop other complications, such as heart disease that impact the academic performance of the children in school. The children take soft drinks on a daily basis that amounts to an extra 36-37 grams of sugar every day that increase the caloric intake. Obese children in schools do not concentrate because they feel that they are unwanted by their peers because of their body shape. This will, in turn, affect their academic performance in school (Jyoti et al., 2005).
Food Insufficiency
Many families cannot afford health food because of lack of resources to buy these foods. This forces them to consume unhealthy food that affects the children’s academic performance. Also, food inadequate teenagers, as well as children were more twice as probable to have missed more school days in addition to repeated grade. Poverty stricken families will not afford a decent meal, which exposes the children to poor concentration in school, hence poor grades. Children from rich household usually get health food because their parents can afford the food. This implies that they can concentrate in school, which boosts their academic performance. Thus, health food is paramount towards better academic performance among children in schools (Clark & Fox, 2009).
Conclusion
Health food has a direct relationship with academic performance ...