Pilot Study: EatFit Impacts Sixth Graders' Academic Performance on Achievement of Mathematics and English Education Standards

Objective: Investigate the impact of a nutrition education program on student academic performance as measured by achievement of education standards. Design: Quasi-experimental crossover-controlled study. Setting: California Central Valley suburban elementary school (58% qualified for free or reduced-priced lunch). Participants: All sixth-grade students (n = 84) in the elementary school clustered in 3 classrooms. Intervention: 9-lesson intervention with an emphasis on guided goal setting and driven by the Social Cognitive Theory. Main Outcome Measure: Multiple-choice survey assessing 5 education standards for sixth-grade mathematics and English at 3 time points: baseline (T1), 5 weeks (T2), and 10 weeks (T3). Analysis: Repeated measures, paired t test, and analysis of covariance. Results: Changes in total scores were statistically different (P less than 0.05), with treatment scores (T3 - T2) generating more gains. The change scores for 1 English (P less than 0.01) and 2 mathematics standards (P less than 0.05; P less than 0.001) were statistically greater for the treatment period (T3 - T2) compared to the control period (T2 - T1). Conclusion and Implications: Using standardized tests, results of this pilot study suggest that "EatFit" can improve academic performance measured by achievement of specific mathematics and English education standards. Nutrition educators can show school administrators and wellness committee members that this program can positively impact academic performance, concomitant to its primary objective of promoting healthful eating and physical activity. (Contains 2 tables.)