Diet quality and academic performance in schoolchildren: the moderating role of weight status

Abstract

Background. There is currently a trend in the scientific literature that studies the association between dietary patterns and their impact on health. Aim. To determine the predictive power of diet quality on academic performance in schoolchildren by observing the moderating role of weight status. Methods. Academic performance was calculated through the grade obtained in the subjects of the primary school curriculum (Royal Decree 126/2014), the KIDMED questionnaire was used to quantify diet quality and nutritional status was assessed through the Body Mass Index (kg/m²) adjusted for sex and age. Results. Higher diet quality correlates with higher scores in all academic subjects (p < .05) with the exception of Natural Sciences, Art Education, and Religion/Values and French (p > .05) with and without adjusting the model for normal weight. After adjusting the model for overweight, the significant relationship disappears in all subjects (p > .05), except for Mathematics and English (p < .05, for both). Likewise, the Johnson-Neyman test showed that there is no moderation of weight status in relation to diet quality and academic subjects (p > .05); with the exception of Physical Education (p < .05). Conclusions. Based on these results, further intervention and longitudinal research should be conducted to reveal possible strategies and policies that would improve school performance and overall health across the lifespan.  

Keywords: Mediterranean diet, obesity, academic performance, nutritional education, childhood.