Longitudinal Effects of Excessive Weight and Obesity on Academic Performance of Primary School Boys in Different Socio-Economic Statuses: The NW-CHILD Study

Obesity affects millions of children worldwide and can often impact their academic performance. This longitudinal study, conducted over seven years, determines the effects of excessive weight and obesity on the academic performance of primary school boys, taking into account their socio-economic status (SES). The study forms part of a seven-year (2010–2016) longitudinal study, the North-West Child-Health-Integrated-Learning and Development (NW-CHILD) study, which includes a baseline measurement and two follow-up measurements of the 181 participants from varying areas in the North West Province. Two-way frequency tables, repeated measure ANOVA’s and Spearman rank order correlations were used to analyze the data. The Body Mass Index (BMI) of the participants reported an increase from 2010–2016. Nearly all of the school subjects reported small to large correlations between BMI and academic performance (r ≥ 0.1 and r ≥ 0.3), except for Afrikaans in 2013 (r = −0.06). Only two subjects (English and Language as tested with the ANA test) reported medium effects (r ≥ 0.3), whereas the other subjects only reported small effects (r ≥ 0.1). No statistically significant relationships (p ≥ 0.05) were observed between the BMI values and academic subjects, however SES and school subject scores reported several statistically significant relationships, especially regarding Language (English and First Additional Language) and Mathematics (p = 0.02). Overweight and obese primary school boys in the North West Province of South Africa reported a higher academic performance in comparison to boys of a normal weight, even when SES was taken into consideration. Further studies are recommended to verify current findings regarding weight, obesity and academic performance.