Dietary Behaviours and Academic Achievement †Assignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Dietary Behaviours and Academic Achievement. Answer: Introduction: Breakfast is an important meal, which energizes people for doing the basic tasks in an efficient and effective manner (O'Neil et al., 2014). Herein lays the appropriateness of the saying, Have breakfast like a king. The quotation aligns with the traditional conventions related to the importance of having breakfast (Clayton James, 2016). In case of children also, this quotation holds equal importance. It is the parents duty to ensure that the children have proper breakfast before going to the schools. However, sleeping for more hours and getting up late are the grounds, which compel the children to skip the most important meal of the day (Burrows et al, 2017). However, it is seen that some of the children, while going to school, grab an apple or a sandwich to eat on the way (O'Donovan, Berman Wierenga, 2015). This shatters the concept of having breakfast with the family members. However, in the 21st century, most of the parents are working, which deprives the children of nutritious breakfast. It is at this stage, the schools need to take strong and flexible responsibility regarding the nourishment of the children (Turner Wilks, 2016). Inability of the parents to provide proper nutrition to the children necessitates the schools to take this responsibility. As it is an issue of the development of the children, oriental approach possesses flexibility to yield positive results. Development of a framework for progressing towards the introduction of Breakfast Programs in schools would help the authorities to ensuring the wellbeing and proper development of the children during developmental stages itself. The Australian Government has undertaken many initiatives to fill the nutrition gap in the life of the children (Testa, 2014). One such initiative is the School Breakfast Program. A group of students coming to schools with no breakfasts alarmed the government officials regarding the nourishment of the children (Nepper Chai, 2015). The result of this was the introduction of School Breakfast Program (Harvey et al., 2015). The purpose of the program was to ensure that each and every child have an equal access to nutritious breakfast every day (Turner Wilks, 2016). The schools registered under this program are supplied with quality canned fruit juice, wheat biscuits, oats, vegemite, spaghetti, canned baked beans and milk, which is heated at 135 degree Celsius and 275 degree Fahrenheit (O'Neil et al., 2014). Along with this, the schools also get supplies of bread, fresh fruits, vegetables and yoghurt (O'Neil et al., 2014). These programs have uplifted the status of the below poverty level children (Varela et al., 2014). Uses of School Breakfast Program In order to ensure the wellbeing of the community children, Sunset school at Mount Isa in north-west of Queensland has launched a nutrition program (Testa, 2014). The main objective of this program was to increase the attendance level among the students. 13% escalation in the attendance of the students reflects the fulfillment of the specified objective (Testa, 2014). Achieving this objective within a short span of 2 years includes the conscious approach of the school authorities towards the development of the community children (Testa, 2014). Tea is one of the main items in the breakfast menu, which is prepared for the students (Testa, 2014). The students can enjoy healthy breakfast, which is devoid of any charges (Testa, 2014). The ways and means adopted by the school authorities reflect community service to the all the adults and children within a low socio-economic background, irrespective of their caste, creed, color and religion (Testa, 2014). This kind of framework projects an affirmative answer to the proposed statement. Decrease in the rates of diseases and absentees have improved the academic performance of the children, this is due to the escalation in the grade levels (Harvey et al., 2015). According to the statistical data, one in seven Australian children goes to school without having breakfast. The responses provided by 16,100 children compelled the Australia Bureau of Statistics (ABS) personnel to make this statement (O'Neil et al., 2014). In view of this survey report, the affirmation regarding the proposed statement attains utmost importance. 15.2% of the samples do not have breakfast, which has adversely affected the academic performance (O'Neil et al., 2014). In view of this condition, development of a strong and flexible framework for introducing breakfast schemes might bring noticeable improvements in the academics for the students. Oriental approach towards the development of this framework would help the school authorities to achieve positive outcomes. For this, financial stock needs to be speculated, which would result in the introduction of the healthy and nutritious schemes for the children. Countering this, consideration of the statistics regarding the children skipping breakfast attains a crucial position. Counter arguing this, surveying the parents about their preferences for the breakfast items. The survey published by ABS can serve as an example for the school authorities (Testa, 2014). Along with this, the school authorities need to consider the dietary capacities of the children and its impact on their health (Testa, 2014). According to the report published by the South Australian government officials, an egg and bacon muffin has 1500 kilojoules (kJ) (Testa, 2014). Therefore, if the primary school students are provided with egg and bacon muffin in their breakfast, they would be energized and can concentrate on their studies. One or two serving of the egg and bacon muffin is alright for the students. Regular serving would make the children obese, acting as an obstacle in their academic establishment (Clayton James, 2016). On the contrary, if the children are served with a bowl of cornflakes with milk and top it with chopped fruit pieces, it has enough calories, which would provide energy to the children and increase their concentration levels (O'Neil et al., 2014) The importance of developmental issue, in case of the children reflects the need for experimenting with different kinds of breakfast options for the children. However, it needs to be ensured that the quality of the meal remains intact. Otherwise, the children would get the meal, but not the nutrients needed for their development. Lack of consciousness in this direction would push the future of the children into dark, questioning the role of the schools and parents in terms of ensuring the wellbeing of the children (O'Donovan, Berman Wierenga, 2015). Viewing it from the other perspective, conscious and rational approach towards the development of framework aligns with the setting approach, which would help the school authorities to lead the students towards a proper development, care and nourishment (Nepper Chai, 2015). References Burrows, T., Goldman, S., Olson, R. K., Byrne, B., Coventry, W. L. (2017). Associations between selected dietary behaviours and academic achievement: A study of Australian school aged children.Appetite,116, 372-380. Clayton, D. J., James, L. J. (2016). The effect of breakfast on appetite regulation, energy balance and exercise performance.Proceedings of the Nutrition Society,75(3), 319-327. Harvey-Golding, L., Donkin, L. M., Blackledge, J., Defeyter, M. A. (2015). Universal free school breakfast: a qualitative model for breakfast behaviors.Frontiers in public health,3. Nepper, M. J., Chai, W. (2015). Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Dietary Patterns of Preadolescents Attending Schools in the Midwest.Journal of Child Nutrition Management,39(2), n2. O'Donovan, R., Berman, N., Wierenga, A. (2015). How schools can move beyond exclusion.International Journal of Inclusive Education,19(6), 645-658. O'Neil, C. E., Byrd-Bredbenner, C., Hayes, D., Jana, L., Klinger, S. E., Stephenson-Martin, S. (2014). The role of breakfast in health: definition and criteria for a quality breakfast.Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,114(12), S8-S26. Testa, D. (2014). What do primary students say about school-based social work programmes?.International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education,27(4), 490-508. Turner, A., Wilks, J. (2016). A place for food in Australian schools: a socio-historical review of food education.International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 1-14. Varela, P., Antnez, L., Cadena, R. S., Gimnez, A., Ares, G. (2014). Attentional capture and importance of package attributes for consumers' perceived similarities and differences among products: A case study with breakfast cereal packages.Food research international,64, 701-710.