Nutritional Factors and Academic Performance of Primary School Children in an Urban City in Southern Nigeria

Background: Dietary habits and nutritional status of school children are essential for their growth, cognitive development and subsequent educational achievement. This study assessed the association between nutritional factors and academic performance of primary school children in Benin City. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted out among 636 primary school children selected by multistage sampling technique. Pretested, interviewer-administered questionnaire was the data collection tool and anthropometric measurements were taken. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical package version 22.0 and level of significance was set at p 6 food groups). Prevalence of stunting, underweight, thinness and overweight/obesity was 16.9%, 10.6%, 24.1% and 8.0%, respectively. Those who skipped breakfast (10.9%) had significantly higher proportion of low academic performance compared with those who did not (7.3%), p