Childhood Obesity and Academic Performance at School

Abstract

Children who are obese are above the normal weight for their age and height. Childhood obesity increases the risk of adulthood obesity and obesity-related diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Successful academic performance is important during the school years and is also a strong predictor of occupational and social success in adult life. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to examine the association between children’s overweight status and their academic performance. Primary data were obtained from a cross-sectional survey conducted through a structured questionnaire. This study was selected 80 students using simple random sampling techniques as the sample in Attanagalla Divisional Secretariat. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze data. Overweight students both girls and boys achieved lower average marks for math and language than their non-overweight peers. It was identified that obesity is negatively associated with academic performance in both genders at school. Age, gender, mother’s BMI, father’s BMI, skipping breakfast, eating fast foods, and snacks have been identified as the key determinant for the development of obesity. The overweight students also demonstrated significantly more detentions, worsened school attendance, and less participation in the school athletic team.