Effect of dairy milk , eggs , meat , fish and fruits intake on academic performances of secondary school students in Bangladesh

Background: Contribution of dairy milk and other food items and schools to academic performances of students are the important factors to build a peaceful meritorious nation with sound mental and physical health. Objective: This experiment was designed to study the contribution of dairy milk and other food item intake pattern and schools to academic performances. Method: Students of class nine in Bangladesh were enumerated using a preprescribed questionnaire during March 2016 to June 2016 by direct interview method. Collected primary data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 14.015. Results: Male (69.63%) students and students of schools in the town (84.97%) performed better. Majority of the students in towns (46.85%; 49.65%) and villages (45.51%; 50.90%) drank dairy milk and ate meat respectively, once or twice in a week. Many students in towns (30.77%) and villages (38.92%) ate eggs for 3 to 4 days in a week. Maximum students in town (53.50%) and in village (46.71%) took fish for 5 to 7 days and 3 to 4 days in a week, respectively. Many students in town (39.86%) and in village (59.88%) took fruits 1 to 2 days and 5 to 7 days in a week, respectively. Most (74.31%) of the students who took dairy milk, meat (73.68%), fruits (66.67%), fish (65.81%) and eggs (64.71%) everyday in a week obtained A grade. Conclusions: Schools, availability of dairy milk, meat, fruits, fish and eggs, Tiffin intake status and gender affected the academic performances but educational institutions had no effect on weekly dairy milk, eggs and meat intake of the students but weekly fish and fruits intake status were affected.


Introduction:
Young students are the main focal point of an educated nation and smart future leaders who could contribute to guide and lead the family and society in the wisest way to build a peace and prosperous world.FAO recommended per capita requirement were, 104.00 pc/head/year, 120 gm/head/day and 250 ml/ head/day, respectively where per capita availability of eggs, meat and milk in Bangladesh were, 50.00 pc/head/year, 65.03 gm/head/day and 91.03 ml/head/ day, respectively 12 .A few numbers of students took eggs and milk everyday in a week and secondary school students were fonder of meat than that of milk and eggs 7 .Lactose is an important contributor from a nutritional perspective starting at infancy and it is unique to the milk of mammals.Dairy milk contains lactose and which is comprised of two simple sugars, glucose and galactose.Galactose is essential for the formation of cerebral galactolipids 18 .Eggs and chicken meat are two vital sources of high-quality protein, vitamins and minerals  10 .Inadequate dietary intake and prolonged undernourishment stunt growth, slow cognitive development, and increase susceptibility to illness 16 .Unhealthy eating during childhood might affect learning negatively 14 .Those who ate more fast food among the 5th grade students performed worse on math and reading scores 11 .Generally children took meat, fish, eggs, poultry meat and pulses during dinner and consumed milk (6.7%), fruit (8.3%), yoghurt (0.4%) and fruit juices (3.8%) to a lesser extent 1 .Institutional factors affect students' performance 2 .A balanced diet is crucial in promoting emotional well-being, psychosocial functioning and in maintaining physical health 5 .Boys tended to eat less fruit and vegetables and consume more soft drink than girls 17 .Meat supplementation increases in end of term test scores, intelligence and behavioral outcomes 13 .Study on contribution of dairy milk intake of secondary level students and schools on academic performances in Bangladesh are scanty.So this study was aimed, designed and conducted with following objectives: a) To explore knowledge on dairy milk and other food intake pattern, b) To find out the contribution of dairy milk, meat, fruits, fish, eggs and schools to academic performances.

Methodology:
A total 453 students of class nine in 6 secondary schools at towns and villages from the districts of Dhaka, Mymensingh, Pabna and Panchagar in Bangladesh were enumerated to generate the information from March 2016 to June 2016 (Table 1).

Results: Academic performances variation for schools and gender
Performances of students of schools situated in towns were better than the students of schools in the villages (Table 2 Note: A= GPA 4.6 to 5.Among the students (42) who took fruits daily, most (66.67%) of them got A grade (Table 3).

Variation of academic performance for Tiffin intake status
Most of the students (82.78%) took Tiffin in school time.

Discussions: Academic performances variation for schools and gender
Academic performances of students in Bangladesh varied for the variation of schools, students at the town performed better than the students in the villages.However, gender had the effect on the JSC examination result, male students performed better than females.The differences between boys and girls in the scholastic achievements are generally attributed to biological causes and/or to cultural and stereotypes 8 .From the above discussions it might be pointed out that schools and gender affected the academic performances.

Variation in weekly food intake
Major number of students drank milk once or twice and few of them took milk nearly every day in a week in towns and villages.However, most of the students in town and villages took eggs for 3 to 4 days and some of them have had eggs nearly every day in week.About half of the students in towns and villages took meat for once or twice in a week.Maximum students took fish for nearly every day in town and for 3 to 4 days in a week in village.A few of them took eggs (9.0%) and milk (11.6%) every day in a week but many students ate eggs (42.3%), milk (32.7%) and chicken meat (51.2%) a day in a week 7 .Maximum students took fruits in town for once and twice in a week but most of the students in villages took fruits for nearly every day.The above discussions might be suggestive that schools had no effect on weekly dairy milk, eggs and meat intake of the students but weekly fish and fruits intake were affected.
Academic performance variation for daily food intake Majority of the students who used to take dairy milk daily performed better than those who did not take daily.Many of the students who took meat, fruits, fish and eggs did perform better than those who did not take fish and eggs daily.Similarly, on a standardized literary assessment documented that, 5th grade students with less nutritious diets performed worse 4 .So, the above discussions might be indicative that daily intake of dairy milk, meat, fruits, fish and eggs contributed to achieve better academic Performances.

Variation of academic performance for Tiffin intake status
More number of students got grade point A from the students those who took Tiffin in school time than those who did not take Tiffin.However, at an inner-city school, students in a universal-free school breakfast program, showed improved math grade, six months after the start of the program 9 .The discussion might be indicative that school time Tiffin intake might have positive contribution in better academic performances.

Conclusion:
Schools, Tiffin intake status and gender affected the academic performances but educational institutions had no effect on weekly dairy milk, eggs and meat intake of the students but weekly fish and fruits intake status were affected.However, on the basis of daily availability of dairy milk, meat, fruits, fish and eggs academic performances were varied.

Future direction and research idea:
Further study with large number of participants, considering gender, previous academic performance record, pedigree performance, learning facilities, food source and amount intake daily and weekly, health status, socioeconomic condition, dairy milk, meat, eggs, fish or any other specific food item intake source, amount and frequency in a week for specific study to observe contribution of specific food item on academic performance of experimental students would be worthwhile.

Table 1 : Background of participating students and schools.
15te: Education: 1=graduate and above, 2= SSC & HSC, 3= JSC (junior school certificate) and below; Gender: M=Male, F=Female A pre-prescribed questionnaire was used to collect the data by direct interview method.Data were collected from door to door visit in different secondary schools.Data on academic performances in GPA (grade point average), daily food intake and weekly food intake etc were documented.The statistical design of the study was unbalanced factorial in nature because; the observations number in different traits was unequal.Collected data were analyzed for having frequency and percentage through descriptive statistics menu under the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 14.015.

Table 2 .1: Variation for schools and gender of students in academic performance
98%) of them have had dairy milk for 5 to 7 days (Table2.2).Many (30.77%) students in town out of 286, took eggs for 3 to 4 days in a week and some (27.97%) of them ate eggs 5 to 7 days.However in village many students (38.92%) out of 167 ate eggs 3 to 4 days in a week and some (31.74%) of them took eggs for 5 to 7 days (Table2.2).Many students in town (49.65%) and in village (50.90%) took meat once or twice in a week (Table2.2).
.1).Most of the students (84.97%) of schools in the towns obtained grade point A but some of the students (26.35%) of village schools did same result.Note: A= GPA 4.6 to 5. Better results of junior school certificate (JSC) examination were reported for the male students than that of females (Table2.1).Majority (69.63%)

Table 4 : Effect of Tiffin intake pattern in schools on academic performance
Note: A= GPA 4.6 to 5.More number of students (68.53%) got grade point A from the students those who took Tiffin in school time than those who did not take Tiffin (38.46%).
Ethical issue: Study was approved by local authorities of all stake holders.Acknowledgements: We thankfully acknowledge the contribution of Mr. Md.Mushfiqur Rahman, Teacher, Sudhir Kumar High School; Mr. Nazir Uddin Khan, Teacher, Sreekol High School; Mr. Abdus Samad, Teacher, Sadullapur High School of Pabna district; Mr. Mamunur Rashid, Teacher, Salbahan High School of Panchagar district, Mr. Mahbubur Rahman, Teacher, Cant Public High School at the district town of Mymensingh and Willes Little Flower School and College at the capital city of Bangladesh for supporting the research aptitude of this study.
Conflict of interest: None.