The link between routine diet, attention span and scholastic performance among grade 2 scholars in circuit one in Khomas region
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Date
2014
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Abstract
In Namibia almost one out of every three children under the age of five is undernourished while one out of every 20 is obese. Thus, the concerns are nature and quality of Grade 2 scholars’ routine diet; ability for sustained attention within a classroom setting should their routine diet fail to adequately provide sustained glucose and scholastic performance that may result from attention deficits due to presumed poor quality of routine diet. The purpose of this study was to determine and describe the link between routine diets, capacity for sustained attention span and scholastic performance among Grade 2 scholars in circuit one in Khomas region. The sampled population consisted of fifty seven (57) grade 2 scholars aged between 7-9 years from both MH Greef and Khomasdal Primary school. The results showed no significant correlation as well as weak positive linear correlation between BMI percentile and likelihood of scholars giving attention in class r(N=57) =0.116 p=0.389. There was significant correlation as well as negative weak linear correlation between BMI percentile and arithmetic skill, r(57)= -0.274, p=0.039. Comparing scholars BMI percentile and reading skills showed no significant correlation as well as negative correlation between the scholars BMI percentile and reading skills, r(57)=-0.025, p=0.851. Comparing attention span and reading showed a significant and a moderate strong linear relationship between scholars’ attention span and reading skills, r(57) = 0.59, p<0.001. Whilst, there is significant and positive linear relationship between the scholars attention span and arithmetic skills, r(57)=0.34, p=0.009. Most scholars who participated in the study academically performed poorly in reading, arithmetic and psychometric tests despite majority of them having normal nutritional status. In conclusion, impairment of attention during lessons in classroom significantly contributed to poor performance in class and another contributing factor to poor academic performance can be associated with the classroom didactic.
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master in Public Health.
Keywords
Routine diet