Signature Assignment

Running head: NUTRITION AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE
Signature Assignment: Nutrition and Cognitive Performance

Sean Velasquez, Patrina Yazzie
Arizona State University
PPE 310: Health Literacy for Schools

Dr. Hesse
Fueling Your Brain: Improving Cognitive Performance Through Nutrition
December 1, 2016
Nutrition and Cognitive Performance

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between nutrition and cognitive
performance in an educational setting within an elementary school. According to Very Well,
nutrition is defined as the process of consuming food and having the body use it as raw
materials for growth, fuel, and function. Cognitive performance is the ability for humans,
including children, to utilize the knowledge acquired by mental processes in our brains.
(Kamphius, P., 2014). Nutritional health is critically important for children to excel in learning
environments. Nutrients play a critical role in brain development. Micronutrients such as iron,
iodine, vitamin B12 and Zinc (which are all found in healthy, nutritious food) can help children
achieve optimal brain development. This paper will explore how nutrition plays a critical role, as
well as offering ways schools can better promote nutrition for optimal brain development.
Review of Current Literature
Article Citation:
Florence, M. D., Asbridge, M. and Veugelers, P. J. (2008), Diet Quality and Academic
Performance. Journal of School Health, 78: 209215. doi:10.1111/j.17461561.2008.00288.x
This study examined overall diet and academic performance of 5200 5th grade children.
These students and their parents were surveyed as part of the Childrens Lifestyle and Schoolperformance Study. This study sought information on dietary intake, height, weight, and
socioeconomic variables using the Youth/Adolescent Food Frequency Questionnaire.
Representatives were also in the school to track students activities. Once the questionnaires were
complete, researchers used the Diet Quality Index-International to examine diet quality, based on
adequacy, variety, balance, and moderation. To gauge academic success, researchers used scores
from the Elementary Literacy Assessment, a standardized test that had students read a variety of
materials and answer written questions. According to the research, students with a reported
increased diet quality were significantly less likely to fail the literacy assessment. It was reported
that students with an increased intake of fruits and vegetables were significantly less likely to fail
as well. It was determined by the researchers that increased diet quality contributed to better
academic performance, and that fruit and vegetable consumption and dietary fat intake were two
critical nutrients in children that are important to academic performance.
Article Citation:
Parmer, S. M., Salisbury-Glennon, J., Shannon, D., & Struempler, B. (2009). School gardens: An
experiential learning approach for a nutrition education program to increase fruit and
vegetable knowledge, preference, and consumption among second-grade students.
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 41(3), 212-217.
doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2008.06.002
115 2nd grade students were split into three groups over 28 weeks to measure the effects
of gardening and nutrition education in fruit and vegetable consumption. These groups were
nutrition education and gardening group (NE+G), nutrition education only group (NE), and the
control group (CG). The NE+G group spent one hour every other week in a nutrition education
class, and one hour in the alternating weeks in the garden, while children in the (NE) group only
did the one-hour nutrition class. The CG group only took part in pre and post assessments with
all the other children. Researchers evaluated childrens fruit and vegetables consumption,
knowledge, and preference through questionnaires, visuals using the MyPyramid, and taste tests.
After the 28 weeks, researchers found a significant increase in fruit and vegetables knowledge,
but found that children in the NE+G group were more willing to add fruits and vegetables in
their lunches based off observations. The researchers determined that while nutrition education
by itself does enough to increase knowledge of fruits and vegetables, adding in the gardening
component strengthens the childs desire to increase intake. The researchers found that gardening
is a positive tool to strengthen a childs desire to make better fruit and vegetables choices as well
as changing behaviors. The researchers believe that gardening is an effective intervention to
improve knowledge, consumption and preference of fruits and vegetables.
Article Citation:
Ptomey, L.T., Steger, F.L., Scubert, M.M., Lee, J., Willis, E.A., Sullivan, D.K., Szabo-Reed, A.,
Washburn, R.A., Donnelly, J.E., (2016) Breakfast Intake and Composition Is Associated
with Superior Academic Achievement in Elementary Schoolchildren. Journal of the
American College of Nutrition. 35:4, 326-333, DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2015.1048381
Retrieved from: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uacn20
698 schoolchildren participated in this study in four school districts, including all
elementary students. The study separated schools in two distinct categories: The A+PAAC
included nine schools that provided academic lessons and physical activity and the remaining
eight control schools over a three-year period. Elementary students were tested in five areas
including reading comprehension, oral reading fluency, spelling, math, problem solving and
numerical operations and were distinguished in three testing components using the WIAT-III
assessment after breakfast intake. Researchers collected data from participants by calculating
their breakfast intake before taking the assessments and used the U.S. Department of Agriculture
guidelines for portion sizes; students were also measured in weight and height. The results found
that students identified as breakfast consumers scored higher than non-breakfast consumers in all
three testing components. The study revealed that student participants had diverse backgrounds
including gender, ethnicity, parents education and socioeconomic status, however if they ate
breakfast they achieved higher scores than those who did not eat breakfast. They found that
foods high in whole grains provided positive results in test performance than juice. An overall of
617 participants were breakfast consumers and 13% were non-breakfast consumers.
Article Citation:
Drozd, M., Romaniello, C., Wearner, R., Carter, V., & Auld, G.W. (2006). Benefits of a Nutrition
Book Bag Program. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Volume 38, Issue 4,
Pages 259-261. Retrieved from:
http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/science/article/pii/S149940460600038
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Three elementary schools participated in this study with 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders with 208
Hispanic families included. All students received a nutritional book bag to take home for the
weekend that included 2 (bilingual) childrens books, 4 healthy recipes, reading tip sheet,
nutrition tip sheet, coupon for free produce and a bag of trail mix. The purpose of the study was
to promote nutritional education using the book bag program, increase parent interest to purchase
fruits and vegetables, and interaction between children and parents. Parents were provided with a
survey to evaluate their feedback from the reading bag program. Calculations were made to
determine if the program connected to purchases in fruits and vegetables by frequency selections.
The survey also provided parents an open ended question to categorize themes. Researchers
found in previous studies that book bag programs are effective. 51% of the survey were returned
and the results are as follows; 68% of parents stated they learned something from the nutrition
from the books, and 42% of parents enjoyed receiving the books to share with their child(ren).
During a follow up telephone call, 84% of 19 parents contacted indicated they were purchasing
more fruits and vegetables because of the book bag program. The book bag program received
positive responses from all participants including parents, educators and children. They indicated
that by promoting literacy for cognitive development and nutritional awareness is important for
children and parents.
Synthesis of Current Literature
Each of the research studies gathered shows a significant connection between nutrition
and cognitive performance in elementary schools. A link between healthy diet and academic
achievement is shown in the research. Important aspects from all articles reveal that students
who are provided with programs involving nutrition education and maintain a proper nutritional
diet are successful learners and do well on cognitive assessments.
Nutrition and cognitive performance have a unique relationship when observed by
student participants in these studies. The research indicates that dietary intakes for elementary
students influences their academic learning; test scores reveal that nutritional education programs
incorporate learning opportunities and support parental involvement to allow a growing
understanding of nutritional food items. The nutritional programs offered in classroom settings
provide students not only to learn about nutrition, but to enhance their desire to select foods high
in nutrients, such as fruits and vegetables, by adding components such as a classroom garden or a
reading book bag from Florence and Parmers studies.
Dietary intake is important for all students, regardless of their background;
Ptomey and Florence share in their findings that children who receive an increase in their dietary
needs or just participating in recommended dietary intakes are demonstrating positive influences
in their assessment scores in cognitive performance data. Especially in Ptomeys article,
background of children does not play a high factor in academic test results because schools
equally utilize the U.S. Guidelines from the Department of Agriculture for healthy dietary intake.
The articles reveal that the connection is critically important for students to practice and gain
knowledge of in age appropriate activities.
Practical Implications
Fueling Your Brain is a program and curriculum plan for elementary schools for student
learners. There are a variety of practical implications that can be used to inform student learners
about nutrition and cognitive performance. The program implications used are: marketing,
policies, family and community involvement, teaching healthy behavior content knowledge,
engagement, and timelines.
Marketing
In order to market an idea like this to the students, excitement and fun needs to be the
driving point. The purpose of a program like this is to get kids excited and motivated to eat
healthy and make healthy food choices. To market to children, posters and signs displaying fruits
and vegetables as superheroes (See Appendix A) is a way to get kids interested and motivated
and is a good reminder throughout the program. Teachers can provide a Superhero Day giving
children the chance to dress up as a fruit and vegetable inspired Superhero (See Appendix A). In
the cafeteria, students will see posters displayed (See Appendix B) as related to what their lunch
tray will look like. A new lunch tray (See Appendix B) will be designed allowing students to see
portion size of each food group (vegetables, fruits, grains, and protein) and where each one will
go. As a school, excitement and motivation is key.
Policies
Fueling Your Brain is a program to support healthy eating habits. One way is to create
effective policies that schools can enforce and students can benefit from. Policies such as
banning junk food in school by replacing healthier snacks has proven to be more effective for
students in their academic performance. An example is for concession sales in schools that sell
items high in sugar, such as candy and saturated fat. Concession guidelines that allow students to
receive less sodium and reduced saturated fat items will help make healthier eating habits.
Classroom parties can often be centered around cupcakes, punch and chips; with a classroom
policy that prohibits these items and replaces it with high nutrient, health options, this can
support student health. According to Nutrition and Students' Academic Performance, servings
such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains are needed and encouraged. (2014)
Family and Community Involvement
According to Michelle Brill (2014) Research has found that students whose parents are
involved in their education have a greater likelihood of better health and educational outcomes
than those whose parents are not involved. A key component of this program is to have families
involved at home with their child. Through the use of classroom websites, educators can add
nutrition content onto the web page to allow parents and children to continue their nutrition
education at home. Schools can offer parents and families the chance to voice opinions and have
discussions about nutrition through the use of workshops or town hall meetings. Teachers and
school staff should welcome parents to be involved in their childs classroom. A garden can be
planted where parents are invited to be involved in the planting of this garden and gives them a
reason to continue to come back (See Appendix C). Teachers can send home nutrition related
information through the use of pamphlets and brochures that children and parents can read
together, as well as creating lessons centered around nutrition such as a food journal where
parents and children can take an active look at what foods they are eating.
Teaching Healthy Behavior Content Knowledge

This nutrition curriculum can use the MyPlate health initiative to integrate nutrition into
schools subjects. The United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services has
a variety of lessons that teachers can use to introduce nutrition related content that meet
standards of math, science and language (link found in reference section). This is an easy way for
teachers to highlight the benefits and importance of healthy nutrition in their classroom. Alison
Hard (2015) states Research shows that 35-50 hours per year of behaviorally focused nutrition
education is optimal to provide students with the motivation and skills they need to make healthy
choices. However, students in elementary school classrooms only receive an average of 3.4
hours of nutrition education (Hard, 2015). This curriculum offers teachers the opportunity to
provide students with more hours devoted to nutrition education, which in turn can help students
be motivated to make healthy eating choices.
Engagement
It is important for schools and their communities to collaborate in events that promote
student health for their academic performance. Community members and parent involvement in
school activities can provide additional resources to students from their professional background.
By utilizing the communitys expertise and providing engaging activities at school can enhance
their understanding and participate in activities beyond the school environment. Community
programs can offer incentives and awards to participants. For instance, Just Move It, is a
community event during the summer that promotes safety, fitness and serves nutritional snacks
for participants; they also provide each participant with a free t-shirt. This idea can be used in the
Fueling Your Brain program for all ages where participants can join a family cooking class to
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make easy and nutritional meals or snacks for the entire family; it brings students and their
families together in engaging activities by partnering with their community.
Scheduling
Organizing activities into a calendar of events is important for students and their families
to look ahead at prepared activities schools are offering. Programs like Fueling Your Brain can
organize daily quick activities throughout the month for families to try or to see what individual
classrooms are doing; parents get more face to face interactions. This allows students and parents
to join fun activities and socialize with others in a safe and trusting environment. By bringing
together students and their families, the program can offer brief lessons about the benefits of
nutritional meals to academic performance. Fueling Your Brain can offer a Nutrition Challenge
Calendar (See Appendix D) for students and their families to participate at their home
environment by following a daily nutrition challenge, such as making a smoothie at home day or
eat a salad day. Students and their families can use the Nutrition Challenge Calendar to meet to
their own needs and change the menu for nutritional items they enjoy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the importance of nutritional intake for students has shown positive results
in cognitive performance. Research has indicated a significate relationship between nutrition and
academic success. The goals of Fueling Your Brain is to promote healthy diets in a school-wide
elementary school program by creating classroom activities and encouraging the community to
become involved to help promote healthy eating. The perfect ending to our program would be to
continue to strengthen weak areas within a year to address conflicts with instructional time or
any other factors or concerns from teachers, students and parents. Within three years we hope to
have a growing network of organizations to work with, and within five years,n a proactive
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attitude about problem solving and sharing ideas based on the programs experience. Its
important to continuously maintain relationships with the community, parent committees and
other partnering organizations by planning for future goals and using sustainable approaches
because the program will continue to impact their role and responsibility to promote healthy
eating. For instance, creating a plan that addresses our 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years goals and
address the unforeseen circumstances with a back-up plan. For example, if we decide later to
each have a classroom garden and an organization that is willing to work with us encounters
financial hardship and is unable to provide resources for this project, our sustainable thinking can
work with alternative solutions to still meet the project goals.
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References
Brill, M., Lichtman, M., & Wu-Jung, C. (2014, September). School and Family Partnerships
Promote School Wellness. Retrieved November 14, 2016, from
https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/fs1239/
Bryan, J., Osendarp, S., Hughes, D., Calvaresi, E., Baghurst, K., & Willem van van Klinken, J.
(2004, August). Nutrients for Cognitive Development in School-aged ... Retrieved
October 31, 2016, from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8236857_Nutrients_for_Cognitive_Developme
nt_in_School-aged_Children
Core Nutrition Messages. (2016). Retrieved October 31, 2016, from
http://www.fns.usda.gov/core-nutrition/core-nutrition-messages
Hard, A., Uno, C., & Koch, P. A. (2015). The Importance of Nutrition Education in the 2015
Child ... Retrieved November 14, 2016, from http://www.tc.columbia.edu/media/medialibrary-2014/centers/tisch-center/Nutrition-Ed-White-Paper-09.14.pdf
Impact of Malnutrition on Health and Development. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2016, from
http://www.orphannutrition.org/understanding-malnutrition/impact-of-malnutrition-onhealth-and-development/
Kamphius, P. (2014, January). Cognitive performance and nutrition. Retrieved October 31,
2016, from http://nutrijournal.danone.com/en/articles/stories/cognitive-performance-andnutrition/
Karratti, D. (2015). How Poor Nutrition Affects Child Development. Retrieved October 31,
2016, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/425283-how-does-teen-nutrition-affectgrowth-development-learning/
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Lehman, S. (2016, September). An Overview of Nutrition. Retrieved October 31, 2016, from
https://www.verywell.com/what-is-nutrition-all-about-2507081
Mealtime Memo - ICN. (2001). Retrieved October 31, 2016, from
http://www.nfsmi.org/documentLibraryFiles/PDF/20080612091850.pdf
MyPlate. (2016). Retrieved October 31, 2016, from https://www.choosemyplate.gov/MyPlate
Serving Up MyPlate: A Yummy Curriculum. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2016, from h
http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/serving-myplate-yummy-curriculum
Nutrition and Students' Academic Performance. (2014, January). Retrieved November 1, 2016,
from https://www.wilder.org/Wilder-Research/Publications/Studies/Fueling Academic
Performance - Strategies to Foster Healthy Eating Among Students/Nutrition and
Students' Academic Performance.pdf
Nyaradi, A., Li, J., Hickling, S., Foster, J., & Oddy, W. H. (2013). The role of nutrition in
children's neurocognitive development, from pregnancy through childhood. Retrieved
October 31, 2016, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3607807/
Tette, E. M., Sifah, E. K., & Nartey, E. T. (2015). Factors affecting malnutrition in children and
the uptake of interventions to prevent the condition. Retrieved October 31, 2016, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4653928/ Resources
The Determinants of Food Choice (EUFIC). (2005, April). Retrieved November 1, 2016, from
http://www.eufic.org/article/en/expid/review-food-choice/

Appendix A
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Appendix B
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Appendix C
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Appendix D
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Running head: NUTRITION AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE