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Adherence to Dietary Recommendations Supports Canadian Children's Academic Achievement
Erin L Faught1,1, Genevieve Montemurro1,1, Kate E Storey1,1
1Population Health Intervention Research Unit, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB.
Purpose:
We aimed to determine if adherence to established Canadian, American, and WHO-developed nutrition recommendations supported children's academic achievement.
Methods:
Data from a health survey of 1595 grade 5 students in Alberta, Canada, was used. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Adherence to recommendations for food group servings, saturated fat intake, and free sugars intake was assessed. Survey data were linked to grade 6 standardized exam results. Multivariable mixed effects linear regression models were employed to assess the association between adherence to recommendations and academic achievement.
Results:
Boys who met current recommendations for free sugars scored on average 5.67% better on exams (β: 5.67; 95% CI: 3.14, 8.29). Boys who met recommendations for milk and alternatives scored 3.45% better on exams (β: 3.45; 95% CI: 0.67, 6.23). Though results indicated that adhering to dietary recommendations was beneficial for girls' academic achievement, no result was statistically significant.
Conclusions:
Adherence to current dietary recommendations has benefits for children's academic achievement. This evidence may be used to inform continued development and promotion of dietary recommendations and to support school-based nutrition initiatives.
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