THE RELATIONSHIP OF FOOD INTAKE TO THE STUDYING HABITS

OF

DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

POSITION PAPER

By
Gonzales, Jasper Jan C., 11143134
Lapid, Abigail C., 11346310
Marcelo, Rustico Angelo A., 11324171
Montes, Samantha Muriel N., 11310138
Nalupta, Jeremiah Jawaharlal M., II, 11318198
Santua, Bernadette, 10913165

Submitted to:
Ms. Alicia Manlagnit
Ms. Eunica Dee

HECUSOC A53
Introduction

According to Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, physiological needs are the

most basic requirement that an individual should acquire in order to survive.

Without this, the human body would not function properly; thus, it is referred to as

the most important. Under the physiological needs is food for it is a source of

vitamins and nutrients, which aid our bodies to normally function and fight off

foreign substances that may harm our health. It is, therefore, pragmatic to claim

that food can help one perform and finish certain tasks.

The young generation of today is immersed in an environment wherein

technologies and other advancements are easily made available to them.

However, with the availability of these products, there are consequences that

should be taken into account. Guided with the notion that almost everything can

be accessed by the youth, it is a usual instance that they are given a pile of

workload in school. Also, these technologies offer a wide array of distractions

that would take a young minds focus away. With these examples, it can already

be deduced that time allotment is an important dynamic for the youth and that the

environment in which the youth are exposed to serves a big role in their learning

and compliance ability.

It is, therefore, important to look out for the health of young adolescents

for their age bracket undergoes several changes. These changes not only affect

them physically, but also mentally, emotionally, and socially. But with the

demands of the environment they are in, food intake became an irregular and

optional part of their lifestyles.

 Several researches have been made to establish a link between the two

factors that were discussed. It has been claimed that food insufficiency is a

serious problem affecting childrens ability to learn (Taras, 2015), and with this in

mind it is essential for a student to have proper nutrition to be able to learn or at

least comprehend information. Another claim that tries to tackle the importance of

food intake towards academic performance is suggested by, Growdon and

Wurtman (1980) that the brain can no longer be viewed as an autonomous

organ, free from other metabolic processes in the body; instead, the brain needs

to be seen as being affected by nutrition, thus this implying that nutrition is a

critical factor for learning.

In an article entitled Whats in the Breakroom: Employee Diet and

Productivity mentions the work of Wanjek who wrote a book that focuses on the

different eating habits of employees in different countries. He mentions that

people feel dizzy and sluggish if one opts not to eat for a long period of time, and

this is brought by low blood sugar. Having small amounts of sugar in the blood

will make the person less attentive and reduces information processing of the

brain.

Researches also suggest that the types of food that a person eat matter.

Different foods offer different sorts of nutrients, and some can aid an individual to

accomplish tasks and improve their mental skills. According to 4imprint (2009),

carbohydrates such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and simple sugar are one of

the essential nutrients that the people need in order to gain energy for their

activities. B Vitamins are also helpful for it improves ones memory capabilities.
By consuming proteins, it will turn into amino acids in which there are several

types that would have an effect to an individuals brain and its functions.

On another note, the study of Chan, Prendergast, Gronhoj and Bech-

Larsen (2009) suggests that the perceptions of adolescents on healthy and

unhealthy eating are mainly composed of four factors: diet composition, nature of

food being consumed, and timing of food consumption and frequency of food

intake.

In a study that was conducted on college students, results show that most

are well-aware that their food intake affects their bodys functioning. The students

are also aware of the type of food that they should eat and the food that they

should avoid. However, in the context of studying, along with the limited time

given and pressure that they experience, the students fail to look out for their

food intake; thus, affecting their health and performance. The study focused on

college students in undergraduate programs in a university based in Manila,

Philippines. It is believed by the researchers that the educational level imposes

numerous and diverse effects on the health of an individual, especially since

college students are of mature age. This is the time in which numerous changes

occur in the body and mind of the concerned individual.

There are several ways to help and guide students attain a regular food

intake comprised of what they need in order to effectively improve their study

habits and academic performance. In Western countries, there are advocacy

groups that were formed that pushes for proper nutrition be made available in

their schools and local communities. An example of which is the Student Nutrition
Advocacy Collaborative (SNAC) of the University of Minnesota, which is a group

of students that is dedicated in increasing awareness and teaching important

nutrition skills within their campus by holding peer check-ups, cooking classes,

talks, etc (About SNAC, 2015). At Fullerton College, their Student Health

Services website offers a specific section in which students can access different

resources that is related to an individuals health. This section includes

subsections for food and nutrition and stress and mental health (Student Health

Services @ Fullerton College | Resources, 2014). In the Philippines, our

government have established a governing body known as the National Nutrition

Council, which is mandated by the law to plan, monitor, and evaluate programs

that are related to the food, nutrition and health. Every month of July, the

National Nutritional Council celebrates National Nutrition Month in accordance

to prepared themes that are associated to the lifestyle of children. Pursuant to

the law, schools in the Philippines are upholding such celebration to bring

awareness to the youth (National Nutrition Council, n.d.).

Although it has been established that there is a correlation between the

two factors, food intake and study habits, there are no evident recommendations

and frameworks for improvement that exists today.

Thematic Discussion of the Problem

This study will explore the relationship of food intake (specifically the types

of food eaten, frequency of meals and health awareness of students) with their

studying habits. According to Carol (2014), food intake is correlated with studying

habits and academic performance, and the relationship between the two also can
bring about other factors thus making it a cycle, when viewed in long-term. In the

cycle, poor diet and insufficient food intake more especially in early childhood is

problematic because it can lead to inefficiency in studying habits that could lower

academic performance throughout school. Lower academic performance is then

followed by a higher chance of less education, fewer job opportunities and lower

socioeconomic status. Next, this outcome of low socioeconomic status and lack

of education can lead to continued poor dietary therefore making it a continuous

cycle.

It has to be noted that regular food intake and proper choice of foods more

especially during breakfast is important. A regular, balanced breakfast offers

numerous benefits to people. In a study of Meyers, Samson, Weitzman, et al.

(1989) which is later conducted again by Kleinman, Hall, Green, et al. (2002),

their results indicate that school breakfast programs reduce tardiness and

absences among students. Additionally, Gaire, Fernandez, et al. (2008) reported

in their study that breakfast consumption improves academic performance

through refinement of cognitive functions such as neural efficiency and memory.

Breakfast help replenish glucose levels and the overnight fasting in order

to perform better academically. Typical breakfast foods such as whole wheat

bread, oatmeal and fruits comprise of carbohydrates for glucose levels, so that a

person can have the requisite energy needed for the day.

As mentioned, the insufficient food intake can affect the students study

habits as this affects the brain function. Cognitive capabilities of a person

depends on how the brain functions and more specific abilities mentioned in the
study of Woodhouse and Lamport (2015) are reported to have an effect with poor

brain function. These capabilities in terms of cognitive are the comprehension,

ability to focus, application and evaluation all in learning.

Moreover, it was reported that glucose being the human bodys key

source of energy improves cognitive ability. Foods that are rich in glucose are

bread, rice, potato and pasta. On the other hand, the intake of glucose should be

balanced with other types of food, and must not be excessive for this can lead to

glucose-intolerance or diabetes.

Frequency of meals clearly is found to be correlated with studying habits

and academic performance. A study in Korea, shows that male adolescents who

eat breakfast have more better performance in studying than those who do not.

Having breakfast everyday (for both sexes) showed that there is a stronger

likelihood of better performance and grade point average (So, 2013).

Health awareness among students could also have an effect on their

behavior and actions when it comes to study habits. A student who is aware of

the regular and balanced diet may influence their choice of food and frequency of

meals most especially if they know it will have a consequence on their study

patterns.

Discussion of the Target Group

The target group and chosen subjects for the research are the

undergraduate students of De La Salle University. Since the university has a

trimestral system which comprises of fast paced subject courses, students are

more likely to undergo stress, and more importantly should be fast and efficient
workers. This is the reason why the group sees the importance of food intake

especially to De La Salle University students. As several researches claim,

hunger can be one consequence of irregular food intake. Students who

experience such are most likely to be slow workers.

A need for more productive and efficient study habits is not only limited to

De La Salle University students. Cramming, procrastination lack of focus are

some of the common bad studying habits nowadays among students, and these

affect ones academic performance. From the studies mentioned earlier, it is

identified that eating healthier foods, higher frequency of meals and increased

health awareness can improve the students studying habits. This in turn, would

boost their academic performance.

Call to Action

In order to enable students to be more informed on how food intake is

related with study habits, the plan of action is to provide a brochure and poster

containing facts and statistics about the research work. Tips and advices about

proper food intake could also be found in the brochure, whether the food they eat

could increase their cognitive ability or their productivity in general. By using

brochures and posters, the scope of the target group could be expanded more as

this can material is easier to produce.

If this action will be done for a long-term, then a partnership school

organizations particularly in the College of Science (COS) and College of Liberal

Arts (CLA) could also be done. These organizations could help spread

awareness about the importance of food intake particularly, the breakfast meal.
This is taken into consideration as it was shown in the results that more than half

of the respondents skip breakfast and they compensate with this by eating more

during lunch and dinner.

The brochures and posters could be shared with certain school

organizations, in order for this to be sustained in a long-term through continuation

of the information dissemination by interested organizations.

References

Gajre, N.S., Fernandez, S., Balakrishna, N. & Vazir, S. (2008). Breakfast eating habit
and its influence on attention-concentration, immediate memory and school
achievement. Indian Pediatr; 45(10):824-828.

Kleinman, R.E., Hall, S., Green, H., et al. (2002). Diet, breakfast, and academic
performance in children.Ann Nutr Metab;46 Suppl 1:24-30.

Meyers, A.F., Sampson, A.E., Weitzman, M., Rogers, B.L. & Kayne, H. (1989). School
Breakfast program and school performance. Am J Dis Child;143(10):1234-
1239.

So, W.Y. (2013). Association between frequency of breakfast consumption and

academic performance in healthy Korean adolescents. Iran J Public
Health;42(1):25-32.

Woodhouse, A. & Lamport, M. A. (2012). "The Relationship of Food and Academic

Performance: A Preliminary Examination of the Factors of Nutritional
Neuroscience, Malnutrition, and Diet Adequacy," Christian Perspectives in
Education, 5(1). Available at: http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cpe/vol5/iss1/1