Fast food consumption linked to lower test scores
/ Yonhap
Fast food may not just be unhealthy for the body. It may also affect a child’s test scores.
In a nationwide survey, researchers at The Ohio State University found that the more often a student eats fast food in fifth grade, the lower their growth on reading, math and science tests is when they reach the eighth grade.
The survey, led by assistant professor of human science Kelly Purtell, was conducted on 11,740 students. The children were tested in the three subjects in the fifth grade, and again in the eighth. They completed a food consumption questionnaire in fifth grade.
The scores of children who ate fast food everyday lagged behind those of student who never ate junk food by nearly 20 percent.
Purtell took diverse variables into consideration, such as family background, living environment and economic status.
He pointed out that no concrete or direct relevance exists between fast food and school scores, but noted that fast food lacks certain nutrients like iron that helps develop cognitive function in the human’s brain.