Assessment of nutritional status and other related factors on academic performance of secondary schools in Wangduephodrang district, Bhutan

Abstract

Nutritional status is the measure of the health condition of an individual affected by the intake of food and utilization of nutrients. Malnutrition has become a global concern which is associated with numerous problems in school-going children such as a high risk of failure and school dropout. In Bhutan, the nutritional status of children and adolescence is well defined, but there is no survey done on the relationship between nutritional status and academic performance of school-going children and adolescents. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effects of demographic factors, nutritional status, health-related behaviour, and frequency of consumption of nutritional components on academic performance of adolescent students of secondary schools from grade IX to X in Wangduephodrang district of Bhutan. Among demographic factors, students who were boarders and of the lower class were analysed to perform better academically, while other factors such as family education, economic status didn’t have any significant association with academics. This study also reported that the academic performance of students with healthy BMI was two times higher than those with unhealthy BMI, whereas waist-hip ratio and mid upper-arm circumference had no significant effect on academic performance. As for nutritional components, students who consumed pork, egg, banana, and orange less than once per week/month performed better. After adjusting for confounding factors, BMI, (p=0.002, AOR=2.053, 95% CI=1.299−3.243) lower class level, (p=<0.001, AOR=2.764, 95% CI=1.779−4.293) less than once a week/month banana consumption (p=0.046, AOR=0.551, 95% CI=0.307−0.991) were the dominating factors associated with higher academic performance. Appropriate nutrition improvement intervention should be carried out to enhance the academic performance of adolescents. IMPLICATION OF THEMATIC PAPER: The study on nutritional status and other related factors on academic performance would be the first data in Bhutan. This study would provide guidance on how to measure the academic success of schools in comprehensive health management by identifying the needs of school children and the advantages of quality education. Moreover, it would also help policymakers and health workers to develop health-related strategies and policies to help improve the nutrition and academic performance of students in Bhutan