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Linking
Health & Academic Success
Statistics and research demonstrating the link between health
and academic success are summarized here, along with links to related resources
and bibliographies. These resources are arranged by health issue as well
as componenets of Coordinated School Health Programs that can improve the
health of children and youth.
Physical Activity & Nutrition
Fast Facts:
Schools that offer breakfast programs see increases in school grades and improvements
in school attendance and participation. (1) Additionally, schools that
offer intense physical activity programs have shown positive effects on
academic achievement: increased concentration, improved mathematics, reading,
and writing test scores, and reduced disruptive behavior- even when the
physical education reduces the time for academics.(2)
Related Research & Resources:
Vision
Fast Facts:
Research indicates that among the 20 percent of school age children who have
a learning disability in reading, 70 percent of them have some form of
visual impairment, such as ocular motor, perceptual or binocular dysfunction,
that may be interfering with their reading skills.(3)
Related Research & Resources:
Substance Use
Fast Facts:
Adolescents who use drugs have been found to have: reduced attention spans,
lower investment in homework, lower grades, more negative attitudes toward
school, increased absenteeism, and higher dropout rates. When controlling
for socioeconomic status and personality variables, drug use also may directly
predict dropping out of school.(4) Additionally, five years after being
taught a substance use prevention curriculum, students had higher overall
academic achievement scores than their peers.(5)
Related Research & Resources:
Mental Health
Fast Facts:
One in five children have a diagnosable mental, emotional or behavioral disorder.
And up to one in 10 may suffer from a serious emotional disturbance . Fifty
percent of youth with emotional disturbances drop out of high school compared
to thirty percent of all students with other types of disabilities. Children
who witness chronic violence have been found to exhibit poor concentration,
shorter attention spans, and a general decline in academic performance.(6)
School-based mental health services have been linked to a decrease in course
failures, absences, and disciplinary referrals, as well as an increase
in grade point averages.(8)
Related Research & Resources:
Sexual & Reproductive Health
Fast Facts:
Childbirth during the high school years is associated with significantly reduced
academic achievement for the mother and her child.(7)
Related Research & Resources:
Oral Health
Fast Facts:
Dental health problems are the most prevalent chronic disease of early childhood
and a major cause of school absenteeism . More than 51 million school hours
are lost each year to dental-related illness. Oral problems can impact
self-esteem for children and lead to problems eating, speaking and attending
to learning.( )
Related Research & Resources:
School-Based Health Services
Fast Facts:
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Related Research & Resources:
School Environment
Fast Facts:
Evidence continues to emerge showing that poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can
cause illness requiring absence from school, and can cause acute health
symptoms that decrease performance while at school. In addition, recent
data suggest that poor IAQ may directly reduce a person’s ability
to perform specific mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation,
or memory. In fact, asthma-related illness is one of the leading causes
of school absenteeism, accounting for over 14 million missed school days
per year.(9)
Related Research & Resources:
School Employee Health Promotion
Fast Facts:
Students benefit from having healthy teachers because teachers are more energetic,
absent less often and the school climate is more optimistic.(10)
Related Research & Resources:
Parent & Community Involvement
Fast Facts:
Under Construction
Related Research & Resources:
Fast Facts Citations:
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