EFFECTS OF EATING HABIT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS

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1 Abstract This study examined the effects of feeding habits on academic performance of students in secondary schools in Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State. A descriptive research design was adopted for the study and the research instrument was a self-developed questionnaire administered on one hundred respondents randomly selected from five secondary schools. The results obtained through t-test analysis revealed that eating in a hurry, skipping of breakfast and under eating affect the academic performance of The study concluded by recommending some proper feeding habits that can enhance the good performance of students academically. Keywords: Perception, Fine and Applied Art, Pre-Service Teacher, Plaster of Paris, Modelling, Casting, Gender Introduction Good nutrition is important to support growth and maximizing learning potential. Due to current research, we are becoming increasingly educated on the role nutrition plays on the body s ability to grow and the performance of our potential learning capacity. Nutritional intake affects energy levels, physical stamina, mood memory, emotional and mental well-being. Research is proving that good nutrition is pertinent for the brain, so the old adage, You are what you eat is proving to be true. Parents and educators need to educate today s youth to make healthier food choices because they are being raised in a culture of fast food (Meyer, 2005). Today s children are being raised during a time when many meals are not being prepared at home which has resulted to the negative outcomes of poor nutritional choices. Children eat excessive amount of saturated fat and cholesterol which contributes to health problems that are causing health organizations and federal agencies to endorse the fat restrictions recommended by Nigerian Dietary Guidelines. Elementary students that have a positive perception of school meals tend to be more satisfied with the school food service and nutritional programme. Therefore they are more likely to participate in the school food program (Meyer, 2005). As 158 student progresses, their tastes change and to keep up with those changes, the school food environment tends to become increasingly less healthy (Finkelstein, 2008). Providing quality food that is appealing to students will help to promote healthy feeding among students School meal programmers play an important role in the nutritional adequacy of students diets. Dietary adequacy is of the utmost importance for students with their nutrient requirements to sustain normal growth and development. Even mild nutrient deficiencies can end with negative long-term effects on growth and function (Sampson, 1995). Rosen (2010) furthered the research that nutrition affects learning and behaviour. He suggested that diet can influence cognition and behaviour in many ways, which include the condition of not enough nutrition or the condition of the lack of certain nutrients. About one-third of children who completed a food-habit questionnaire had inadequate fruit and vegetable intake. These students also showed poor school performance as compared to those students who had an adequate intake of fruits and vegetables. The study therefore tends to examine the effect of eating some eating habits on academic performance of students in secondary school schools.

2 The Concept of Feeding Habit Pattern All humans eat to survive. We also eat to express appreciation, for a sense of belonging, as part of family customs, and for self-realization. People eat according to learned behaviours regarding etiquette, meal and snack patterns, acceptable foods, food combinations, and portion sizes. Etiquette and eating rituals also vary depending on whether the meal is formal, informal, or special. For human body, food is the fuel on which it runs. To make your body give the best performance, satisfying your hunger is not all. It is important that you consume a healthy food and eat it in a healthy way. The unhealthy food you eat and the unhealthy way it take may lead to several minor health problems or some major breakdowns in your body. Johannes, (2001) examined on the following as unhealthy food habit. Eating in a hurry When we eat in a hurry, we are not able to chew our food properly. This leads to acid reflux. We should try to take at least 20 minutes for eating the food as it is the time our brain receives the message that we re satiated. So we should eat slowly and enjoy the meal. Skipping breakfast This is a very common problem with most of us. Many times when we are getting late for our schools or offices, we skip our breakfast. This makes our body slow down to preserve energy and store calories that affects the metabolism and the ability to concentrate. At time we may eat more at lunch or dinner which results in overweight or obesity. So we should have our breakfast within 2 hours after waking up. Under eating in the name of dieting Many people are really diet conscious. They stick on a typical diet plan to stay fit. While following a diet plan sometimes they start starving. Hence the body does not get enough nutrition. This can be extremely harmful for health. A healthy eating habit means you will live a longer and healthier life. Unhealthy eating habits may harm you in many ways. They can result in many serious health problems, especially if they are not tackled in early stages. We should make small but steady changes in our unhealthy eating habits. This will not only improve our health, but also get about universal well-being. Eating healthy is the best way to stay happy and healthy. Nutrition and Students Cognitive Development Burkman, (2000) stated that offering students the right food choices and helping them develop positive healthy eating habits will support optimal functioning of the brain. Eating breakfast helps students to eliminate or reduce stomach pain, headache, muscle tension, and fatigue, all which lead to an interference with learning. School personnel have the perfect access to students breakfast eating habits and need to utilize the opportunity to teach students good breakfast eating habits, whether at school or home. The negative impact of skipping a meal is also highlighted by Burkman. Without an adequate daily intake of nutrients from food, the body puts learning on a lower shelf below its need to sustain life-support functions. Therefore, in many cases, skipping a meal negatively affected the body and its learning functions. Wolf and Burkman concluded that as many as half of lowincome elementary students skipped breakfast and that children who eat a good breakfast at school perform better on standardized tests. Also, they found that children who eat breakfast have improved attention in late-morning performance 159

3 tasks, retrieve information more quickly and accurately, make fewer errors in problem-solving activities, and concentrate better and perform more complex tasks. Also, what the child eats for breakfast is important. A breakfast comprised of protein, fat, and sugar will prevent drops in blood sugar for several hours, whereas, as breakfast of just starch and sugar will sustain a child for only about two hours. A meal that included food from several food groups was the best for a child who was expects to perform at his or her best in school, educationally and physically. Burkman called attention to school food programs and contend that such programs need support, not disdain. Every lunch must contain at least onethird of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for specific key nutrients, and every breakfast must contain one-fourth of the RDA for specific nutrients. School meals must conform to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines and on a weekly average, no more than thirty percent of the calories can be from fat Burkman, (2000). To sum up Burkman s findings, the performance possibilities of children are very dependent upon their health and well-being; minds that have been given the proper nutrition will perform better on tests and general classroom tasks. Statement of Problem Skipping of breakfast or eating in a hurry has been noticed in most people in our society today. Most times when we are getting late to our daily duties, skipping of breakfast do occur which slows down the body system in preserving energy that are useful for metabolic activities in the body thereby distort the ability to concentrate. Those who even manage to rush their meal in a hurry are not able to chew their food properly which has resulted to acid reflux in the body. However, some people engage themselves in sticking to a particular diet to stay fit in the name of dieting. While following this diet plan, sometimes they starve themselves which can be extremely harmful to health as a result of malnutrition. Hence the body does not get enough nutrition. This has prompted this research work to investigate the effects of these eating habits on academic performance of Research Hypotheses 1. There is no significant effect of eating in a hurry on academic performance of 2. There is no significant effect of skipping breakfast on academic performance of 3. There is no significant effect of under eating on academic performance of Data Analysis and Discussion of Findings The section presents the result of the data analyzed on the effects of eating habit on students academic performance in Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State. Hypothesis 1: There is no significant effect of eating in a hurry on academic performance of Table 1: T-test analysis of significant effect of eating in a hurry on academic performance of Variables N X Standard Deviation (SD) Degree of freedom (DF) Level of significance From table 4.1, the t-calculated value of 3.75 is greater than the t-tabulated value of 1.96 at 0.05 level of significant. Therefore, the hypothesis is rejected which implies that there is significant effect of eating in a hurry on academic performance of (α) t-tab t-cal Remarks Agree Rejected Disagree

4 Hypothesis 2: There is no significant effect of skipping breakfast on academic performance of of under eating on academic performance of Table 2: T-test analysis of significant effect of skipping breakfast on academic performance of Variables N X Standard Deviation (SD) Degree of Freedom (DF) Level of Significance (α) t-tab t-cal Remarks Agree Rejected Disagree From table 4.2, the result revealed that the tcalculated value of 7.47 is greater than the ttabulated value of 1.96 at 0.05 level of significant. Therefore, the hypothesis is rejected. Hence, there is significant effect of skipping breakfast on academic performance of Hypothesis 3: There is no significant effect of under eating on academic performance of Table 3: The table of significant effect of under eating on academic performance of Variables N X Standard Deviation (SD) Degree Freedom DF of Level of Significance (α) t-tab t- cal Remarks Agree Rejected Disagree Table 4.3 showed that the t-calculated value of 4.14 is greater than the t-tabulated value of 1.95 at 0.05 level of significant. Therefore, the hypothesis is rejected. There is significant effect Conclusion This study revealed the importance of healthy eating habits on academic performance of The results of the analyses showed that eating in a hurry, skipping of breakfast and under eating in the name of dieting has negative effects on academic performance of Recommendations The following recommendations were made: 1. We should try to take at least 20 minutes for eating the food as it is the time our brain receives the message that we re satiated. So we should eat slowly and enjoy the meal. 2. We should have our breakfast within 2 hours after waking up. 3. Government should to make a commitment effort, through ministry of education or ministry of health, to organize well loaded public seminars on danger in eating in hurry, skipping of breakfast and dieting. 4. Parents should endeavour that their children eat breakfast before going to the school every day. 5. School administrators through P. T. A. meeting should enlighten the parents on the importance of breakfast. References Alaimo, K.O. (2001). Food insufficiency, family income, and health in US preschool and school-aged children. American Journal of Public Health, 4(7) 91,

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