The Relationship of the Nature of Nutrition of Senior Schoolchildren With Academic Performance and Depression

Abstract

The multifactorial influence of the environment on school-age children determines their physical and psychological state, which directly forms the future personality. Currently, the greatest impact on children is caused by physical inactivity, irrational and unbalanced nutrition. At the same time, the fullness and balance of the diet determines not only the direct impact on the state of homeostasis, but also affects the emotional and psychological state of a person, and, often, provokes the development of depressive states. The presence of deviations in the state of health reduces performance, academic performance and the achievement of certain successes in adolescence and adolescence. The aim of the study was to study the nature of nutrition among high school students and its relationship with academic performance and depression. The study involved 120 students aged 15-17 years, 65 of them girls and 55 boys. A survey of schoolchildren was conducted to assess the nutritional status and the nature of nutrition of the study participants, and the level of depression of schoolchildren was determined using the Hospital Scale of Anxiety and Depression (HADS). According to the results of the study, it was found that the majority of senior schoolchildren try to adhere to a rational diet. However, at the same time, the diet is often monotonous and «fast food» appears in it. The revealed correlation of nutrition factors and the level of anxiety and depression indicates the importance of a proper diet and a variety of diets. The fact of the influence of the presence of breakfast in the diet on fatigue during the day is also noted.