Diet, nutritional status and school performance among adolescents in Gaza Strip

Abstract

The associations between dietary intake, nutritional status and school performance among 932 adolescents aged 12-15 years were examined in a cross-sectional survey in 2002 in north Gaza Strip. School performance was obtained from school records and height and weight were measured for body mass index (BMI). Self-administered questionnaires included sociodemographic characteristics and food frequency intakes. Adolescents consuming fruit and vegetables more than 3 times per week were more likely to have good school performance (72.6% versus 59.9%). When adjusting for sociodemographic variables and BMI, fruit and vegetables intake was positively associated with school performance (OR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.11-2.32) and stunting was negatively associated (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.31-0.90). The findings support a broader implementation of school nutrition programmes.