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Children who get a healthy lunch and more exercise at school do better in maths

School children perform better at school, particularly in arithmetic, if they have a healthy lunch and get varied exercise. These are the findings of new research based on data from the Healthy Primary School of the Future (HPSF) project, a long-term study by Maastricht University (UM). During the project, primary school children took reading and arithmetic tests twice a year. The researchers previously demonstrated that the HPSF approach indeed has very positive effects on children’s health and behaviour, but now they turned their attention to school performance. Over a four-year period, they observed a lasting improvement in results, particularly in the area of ​​arithmetic.

School performance

Although the positive impact of healthy nutrition and exercise on physical health is well documented, much less is known about the effects on numeracy and literacy. The study results now show an improvement in the performance in arithmetic of children who have a healthy lunch and do extra physical education. This was already apparent after one year, but also after four years the children were still doing better in arithmetic in comparison to children at regular schools. The researchers saw no major differences in language tests. ‘These results are interesting given the recent government decision to maintain funding for school meals. Healthy nutrition not only contributes to better health for children, but also to improved school performance,’ says Professor Onno van Schayck, professor of preventive medicine at Maastricht University and project leader of the study.

Healthy Primary School of the Future

The long-term HPSF project took place from 2015 to 2020 in the Parkstad region in the province of Zuid-Limburg. This is an area with relatively major health problems among the population. Researchers from Maastricht University compared more than 2,200 children at four project schools and four regular schools for four years. The project schools focused on improving the children’s health by providing healthy school lunches and structured physical education. After the project, the researchers were amazed at the extent of the health differences among children at the eight schools. In response to the project, a foundation has now been established with the aim of rolling out the HPSF method to more Dutch schools. The recent study on the effects of healthy nutrition and exercise on reading and arithmetic performance draws on data previously obtained during the HPSF project and from the Limburg Education Agenda (Educatieve Agenda Limburg), in which schools work closely with Maastricht University.

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