1. Impact of poor nutrition on child development and educational attainment
Dr Michelle McKinley (R.Nutr Public Health)
Senior Lecturer, Centre for Public Health
School of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Science
Adapted by Samantha Emsley for level 2 E.Y.E.

2. Today, we will discuss the:
Impact of poor nutrition in early life
Effect of nutrition interventions on learning & performance of school age children
Breakfast
Fish oils
Multivitamins/minerals
School food interventions
Conclusion

3. Impact of poor nutrition

4. Why is good nutrition in early life so important?
Optimal growth
Optimal cognitive development
Optimal health
Prevention of chronic disease in later life

5. The first 9 months can shape the rest of your life…….
Critical periods before and during pregnancy when specific nutrients are needed for optimal development.
Risks of a number of chronic diseases in adulthood such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease may have their origins before birth.

6. Promoting optimal health through the lifecourse

7. Low iodine levels in Uk pregnant women
Low maternal iodine status was associated with an increased risk of suboptimum scores for verbal IQ at age 8 years, and reading accuracy, comprehension and reading score at age 9 years
2013;382:331-37

8. Brain development
Diet provides the building blocks and fuel for the brain.
Very rapid brain growth happens in the last trimester of pregnancy and first 2 years of life.
Malnutrition in the first year of life has a lasting effect on both behaviour and cognition
Motor skills and language develop more slowly
Intelligence scores and school performance are poorer
Early malnutrition associated with higher incidence of aggressive behaviour when children aged 9-15 years
Further peaks of brain growth have been found at 7, 12 and 15 years of age

9. Impact of poor nutrition in early life
Vitamin / mineral deficiencies
Growth stunting
Impaired cognitive development
Childhood obesity
Childhood type 2 diabetes

10. Diet of UK schoolchildren
Most children in the UK are consuming:
too much saturated fat, sugar and salt
too little fibre and fruit and vegetables - ~ 80-90% of children aged yrs in the UK are not meeting the 5-a-day recommendation
Few meeting oily fish recommendation
Micronutrients of concern – Iron, zinc, magnesium, iodine, vitamin D
Energy imbalance

11. Global Prevalence of Overweight in Boys Prior to 1990
< 5 %
5-9.9% % % % %
≥30%
Self Reported data
© International Association for the Study of Obesity

12. Global Prevalence of Overweight in Boys 2000-2008
< 5 %
5-9.9% % % % %
≥30%
Self Reported data
© International Association for the Study of Obesity, London 2010

13. Global Prevalence of Overweight in Girls Prior to 1990
< 5 %
5-9.9% % % % %
≥30%
Self Reported data
© International Association for the Study of Obesity, London 2010

14. Global Prevalence of Overweight in Girls 1990-1999
< 5 %
5-9.9% % % % %
≥30%
Self Reported data
© International Association for the Study of Obesity, London 2010

15. Global Prevalence of Overweight in Girls 2000-2008
< 5 %
5-9.9% % % % %
≥30%
Self Reported data
© International Association for the Study of Obesity, London 2010

16. Social disparities in childhood obesity
Source:

17. US Childhood Obesity Campaign

18. Childhood obesity in UK & Ireland
UK and Ireland - about 1 in 3 children are considered overweight or obese by the time they finish primary school
By % of boys and 70% of girls could be overweight/ obese

19. Breakfast
Young people are more likely to skip breakfast than any other meal
Breakfast skipping increases with age
Girls at secondary school highest at-risk group for skipping breakfast
(Hoyland et al, Nutrition Bulletin)
Children who eat breakfast are more likely to meet daily nutrient intake guidelines compared with children who eat breakfast infrequently or skip breakfast

20. Breakfast Adolphus, Lawton, Dye 2013 Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
36 studies examined effect of breakfast on in-class behaviour & academic performance in children and adolescents
21 studies provided suggestive evidence that:
Habitual breakfast and school breakfast programs (SBP) have a positive effect on children’s academic performance
Most consistent effects observed for maths performance, most pronounced in undernourished children
11/19 studies reported positive effects on classroom behaviour e.g. less ‘off-task’ and ‘out of seat’ behaviour

21. School food and learning behaviour in primary schools
Six primary schools in Sheffield: 4 intervention, 2 control; 12 week study; years 3, 4 and 5; n=146
Food interventions – new menus, taster sessions, themed weeks, healthy eating workshops
Dining environment – changing layout and Q system; redecorating; buying new furniture, artwork and murals
Classroom behaviours observed in the hour after lunch at baseline and 12 weeks – ‘on-task’ and ‘off- task’ behavours

22. N=156
N=156
“....+ve effect on engagement and concentration and their ability to learn in the classroom after lunch..also suggests pupils less likely to be disengaged”
Storey et al. A randomized controlled trial of the effect of school food and dining room modifications on classroom behaviour in secondary school children. Eur J Clin Nutr 2011;65:32-8.

23. Conclusion

24. Conclusion
The importance of good nutrition in early life for optimal growth and development is irrefutable
There is increasing evidence that nutrition interventions in school age children can have a positive effect on cognitive function, learning and classroom behaviour
Whole school approach to nutrition – can provide an environment that encourages positive attitudes to food and healthful behaviours among students