IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/mth/ijld88/v4y2014i3p73-84.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of Poor Nutrition on the Academic Performance of Grade Seven learners: A Case of Zimbabwe

Author

Listed:
  • Kudzai Chinyoka

Abstract

This paper examined the impact of poor nutrition on the academic performance of grade seven learners at two primary schools in Chivi, Zimbabwe. Its main objective is to identify mitigation policies and measures designed to reduce negative effects of poor nutrition on children¡¯s academic performance. Malnutrition remains one of the major obstacles to human well-being affecting all areas of a child's growth and development, including performance in the classroom. The study is grounded in Maslow¡¯s motivational and needs theory. In this study, a qualitative phenomenological case study design was used with focus group discussions, interviews and observations as data collection instruments to twelve (12) grade seven learners, three (3) headmasters and four (4) teachers, purposively sampled in Masvingo province. Findings revealed that malnutrition affected physical growth, cognitive development and it consequently impacts on academic performance, health and survival of learners. Malnutrition also deepens poverty due to increased health care costs. The study also established that hungry and undernourished grade seven learners were not able to take on physical work and sporting activities seriously, are less able to attend school and if they do, are less able to concentrate and learn. On the way forward, there is need to introduce nutritional gardens at community, school and at family levels. Addressing the root causes of malnutrition (such as food insecurity, poverty, population growth and socio-economic instability) is imperative for achieving sustained reductions in malnutrition.?

Suggested Citation

  • Kudzai Chinyoka, 2014. "Impact of Poor Nutrition on the Academic Performance of Grade Seven learners: A Case of Zimbabwe," International Journal of Learning and Development, Macrothink Institute, vol. 4(3), pages 73-84, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:mth:ijld88:v:4:y:2014:i:3:p:73-84
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijld/article/download/6169/4976
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijld/article/view/6169
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Orazem, Peter & Glewwe, Paul & Patrinos, Harry, 2007. "The Benefits and Costs of Alternative Strategies to Improve Educational Outcomes," Staff General Research Papers Archive 12853, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    2. Ecker, Olivier & Breisinger, Clemens, 2012. "The food security system: A new conceptual framework," IFPRI discussion papers 1166, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    3. Stuart Cameron, 2012. "Education, Urban Poverty and Migration: Evidence from Bangladesh and Vietnam," Papers inwopa679, Innocenti Working Papers.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ahmmed, Sakil & Uddin, Mahtab, 2022. "Exploring the disparities in learning outcomes among the primary school students of Bangladesh," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    2. Alice P. Okeyo & Eunice Seekoe & Anniza de Villiers & Mieke Faber & Johanna H. Nel & Nelia P. Steyn, 2020. "The Food and Nutrition Environment at Secondary Schools in the Eastern Cape, South Africa as Reported by Learners," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-18, June.
    3. Elias M. A. Militao & Elsa M. Salvador & Olalekan A. Uthman & Stig Vinberg & Gloria Macassa, 2022. "Food Insecurity and Health Outcomes Other than Malnutrition in Southern Africa: A Descriptive Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-18, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hannah Pieters & Andrea Guariso & Anneleen Vandeplas, 2013. "Conceptual framework for the analysis of the determinants of food and nutrition security," FOODSECURE Working papers 13, LEI Wageningen UR.
    2. Ecker, Olivier & Hatzenbuehler, Patrick L. & Mahrt, Kristi, 2018. "Transforming agriculture for improving food and nutrition security among Nigerian farm households," NSSP working papers 56, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    3. Sadowski, Arkadiusz & Baer-Nawrocka, Agnieszka, 2016. "Food Self-Sufficiency Of The European Union Countries – Energetic Approach," Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development, University of Life Sciences, Poznan, Poland, vol. 40(2).
    4. repec:zna:indecs:v:13:y:2015:i:2:p:450-460 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Onil Banerjee & Moogdho Mahzab & Selim Raihan & Nabiul Islam, 2015. "An Economy-Wide Analysis Of Climate Change Impacts On Agriculture And Food Security In Bangladesh," Climate Change Economics (CCE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 6(01), pages 1-17.
    6. Ilyasov, Jarilkasin & Götz, Linde & Akramov, Kamiljon T. & Dorosh, Paul A. & Glauben, Thomas, 2016. "Market integration and price transmission in Tajikistan’s wheat markets: Rising like rockets but falling like feathers?:," IFPRI discussion papers 1547, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    7. Yilebes Addisu Damtie, 2015. "The Effect of Shocks: An Empirical Analysis of Ethiopia," Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems - scientific journal, Croatian Interdisciplinary Society Provider Homepage: http://indecs.eu, vol. 13(3), pages 450-460.
    8. Touidjeni, Zinelaabidine & Boufalta, Mohamed Seifeddine & Mebarki, Louiza, 2022. "The Food Security of Algerian Households in The Light of the Covid-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study," International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics (IJFAEC), Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Department of Economics and Finance, vol. 10(3), July.
    9. Hesekia Garekae & Charlie M. Shackleton, 2020. "Foraging Wild Food in Urban Spaces: The Contribution of Wild Foods to Urban Dietary Diversity in South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-18, January.
    10. repec:fpr:2020cp:3(3 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Olivier Ecker & Marc Nene, 2013. "Nutrition Policies in Developing Countries: Challenges and Highlights," Working Papers id:5241, eSocialSciences.
    12. Kanbur, Ravi, 2009. "Intergenerationalities: Some Educational Questions on Quality, Quantity and Opportunity," Working Papers 48922, Cornell University, Department of Applied Economics and Management.
    13. Evita Pangaribowo & Nicolas Gerber & Maximo Torero, 2013. "Food and Nutrition Security Indicators: A Review," FOODSECURE Working papers 5, LEI Wageningen UR.
    14. Ecker, Olivier & Van Asselt, Joanna, 2017. "Food and nutrition security in transforming Ghana: A descriptive analysis of national trends and regional patterns," IFPRI discussion papers 1650, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    15. Pierre Damien Ntihinyurwa & Walter Timo de Vries, 2021. "Farmland Fragmentation, Farmland Consolidation and Food Security: Relationships, Research Lapses and Future Perspectives," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-39, January.
    16. Hoddinott, John, 2011. "Agriculture, health, and nutrition: Toward conceptualizing the linkages," 2020 conference briefs 2, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    17. Agnieszka Baer-Nawrocka & Arkadiusz Sadowski, 2019. "Food security and food self-sufficiency around the world: A typology of countries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(3), pages 1-15, March.
    18. Abdullah & Wang Qingshi & Muhammad Akbar, 2022. "A Spatial Panel Analysis of Food Security and Political Risk in Asian Countries," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 161(1), pages 345-378, May.
    19. Ilyasov, Jarilkasin & Goetz, Linde & Akramov, Kamiljon & Dorosh, Paul & Glauben, Thomas, 2015. "Market Integration and PRice Transmission in Tajikistan's Wheat Markets" Rising like rockets but falling like feathers?," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211786, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    20. Soriano, Bárbara & Garrido, Alberto, 2016. "How important is economic growth for reducing undernourishment in developing countries?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 87-101.
    21. Quoc Hoi Le & Quynh Anh Do & Hong Chuong Pham & Thanh Duong Nguyen, 2021. "The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Income Inequality in Vietnam," Economies, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-15, March.
    22. Alison Daly & Christina M. Pollard & Deborah A. Kerr & Colin W. Binns & Martin Caraher & Michael Phillips, 2018. "Using Cross-Sectional Data to Identify and Quantify the Relative Importance of Factors Associated with and Leading to Food Insecurity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-13, November.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R00 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General - - - General
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:mth:ijld88:v:4:y:2014:i:3:p:73-84. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Technical Support Office (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijld .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.