CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Nutrition is a critical component of human existence, health, and development throughout the lifespan. Proper food and nutrition are vital for survival, physical growth, mental development, performance and productivity, health and well-being from the earliest stages of fetal development, at birth, through infancy, youth, adolescence, maturity, and old life (FAO/WHO, 1992; WHO, 2000). Evidence shows that children’s physical growth and cognitive development are faster throughout their early years of life, with 50 percent of adult intellectual capacity acquired by the age of four, and 92 percent of adult intellectual ability attained by the age of thirteen (Vernon, 1976). Nutrition is the science that deals with the study of food in relation to their effects on the human body. It is also the study of various nutrients in relation to their effects upon the human body.
Evidence shows that 4% of all children born in underdeveloped nations die of malnutrition before reaching the age of five (Toriola, 1990); and that the children of illiterate parents in low socio-economic groups with limited purchasing power in the economy are the most impacted (Adekunle, 2005). Nutrition is a critical component of human existence, health, and development throughout the lifespan. Proper food and nutrition are vital for survival, physical growth, mental development, performance and productivity, health and well-being from the earliest stages of fetal development, at birth, through infancy, youth, adolescence, maturity, and old life (FAO/WHO, 1992; WHO, 2000). More so, evidence shows that children’s physical growth and cognitive development are faster throughout their early years of life, with 50 percent of adult intellectual capacity acquired by the age of four, and 92 percent of adult intellectual ability attained by the age of thirteen (Vernon, 1976)
Importantly, the association between timely and high-quality nutritional consumption, brain size, and intelligence has been established (Strupp & Levitsky, 1995; Florey et al., 1995), as well as the fact that head circumference and intelligence quotient have a strong correlation (1Q). This suggests that differences in human brain size may play a role in explaining differences in intelligence and academic performance, even though genetic and environmental factors such as socioeconomic, sociocultural, and psychological factors may be direct or indirect co-determinants of both intelligence and academic performance. The head circumference is a physical indicator of past nutrition and brain development, as well as a good predictor of a child’s later intelligence (Botting et al., 1998), and it is the most sensitive anthropometric index of prolonged under-nutrition during infancy, which is linked to intellectual impairment (Ivanovic, 1996). Several studies have found that inadequate eating and/or recurring illnesses caused by poverty result in stunted development, significant brain damage, low intellectual competence, and limited learning ability in children (Kerr & Black, 2000).
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Nutrition has a crucial part in the development and growth of every human beginning from birth. There’s also the adage “you are what you eat.” That is, your output (performance) tells a lot about who you are. Recent stuiesy has revealed that nutrition affects students’ cognitive capacity, behavior, and health, all of which affect academic attainment. Diets high in trans and saturated fats can hinder learning and memory, nutritional deficiencies early in life can affect school-aged children’s cognitive development, and access to nutrition improves kids’ cognition, focus, and energy levels, according to study. Nutrition has an indirect impact on academic performance. Poor nutrition can make children ill or create headaches and stomachaches, causing them to skip school. Pupils’ memory, concentration, and energy levels have all been demonstrated to improve when they have access to protein, carbohydrates, and glucose (Bellisle, 2004; Sorhaindo & Feinstein, 2006). Nutritional deficiencies (especially zinc, B vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids, and protein) early in life,  may have an effect on school-aged children’s cognitive development, according to Sorhaindo and Feinstein (2006). Trans and saturated fat diets have also been demonstrated to have a negative impact on the brain, impairing learning and memory.
According to Florence, Asbridge, and Veugelers (2008), 5th grade students who ate a less healthful diet performed lower on a standardized literary examination. Another study discovered that fifth-grade students who ate more fast food fared worse in mathematics and literacy (Li & O’Connell, 2012).  Similarly Belot & James (2009) carried out a a study on healthy eating program that substituted junk food in schools with healthier, freshly cooked school meals, they found that students who participated in the campaign outperformed those who did not in English and science exams. These studies stated above were conducted outside of Nigeria, hence necessitating a study of this type with Nigeria. Thus is upon this premise that this study seeks to examine primary school pupils’ nutritional intake and its implication on academic performance.
