Statement of the Problem
What is the relationship between grade point average and a healthy lifestyle among college students? Do college students who participate in a healthy lifestyle tend to earn higher grade point averages than students who do not? How does a student’s grade point average benefit from the student practicing a healthy lifestyle? How is this relationship mediated by the hours spent studying, gender, race, and socioeconomic status of college students?
Rationale
Health and wellness is important to how an individual acquires and retains knowledge. Healthy diets are what ensure proper brain development. Fernando Gómez-Pinilla, suggested that “mechanisms that are involved in the transfer of energy from foods to neurons are likely to be fundamental to the control of brain functions” (pg. 572).
Our brains require nutrients as well as exercise in order for our brains to function at their best.
People often neglect the importance that a healthy lifestyle has on their success academically. Most research studies suggest that effort put forth by parents' involvement is what predicts a student's academic success, despite the effort expended by either teachers or the students themselves (Paul, 2012). Although parents' involvement is crucial to students’ academic achievement, a healthy lifestyle is the foundational aspect of academic success. Ultimately, this research, which investigates the impacts of healthy lifestyle on students' success, may encourage college students to participate in a healthy lifestyle in order to ensure proper brain development and higher grade point averages.
LITERATURE REVIEW
There is a substantial amount of literature supporting my topic, which seeks to establish a relationship between...
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Parks, F., & Kennedy, J. (2007). The Impact of Race, Physical Attractiveness, and
Gender on Education Majors' and Teachers' Perceptions of Student Competence. Journal of Black Studies, 37(6), 936-943
Paul, A. (2012, October 24). Brilliant: The Science of Smart. Ideas Why Parenting Is
More Important Than Schools Retrieved from http://ideas.time.com/2012/10/24/the-single-largest-advantage-parents-can-give-their-kids /
Rau, W., & Durand, A. (2000). The Academic Ethic and College Grades: Does Hard
Work Help Students to "Make the Grade"?. Sociology of Education, 73(1), 19-38
Wainwright, N., Surtees, P., Welch, A., Luben, R., Khaw, K., & Bingham, S. (2007).
Evidence-Based Public Health Policy and Practice: Healthy lifestyle choices: could sense of coherence aid health promotion?. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 61(10), 871-876
Overall this was a great book. I have a great deal of interest in the brain. It is a truly amazing and fascinating organ. Its complexity bewilders not only researchers, and many neuroscientists but me as well. I also have somewhat of a passion for fitness and to learn how beneficial exercise can be, not only to our body’s health but the brain as well. It gives me a new understanding about a “workout”. The author did a great job explaining all of the very complicated processes that are involved in exercise’s wondrous benefits. Even though some of the information may have been boring, the way it was presented was not. This book was a great read and overall I would recommend it to any interested in exercise or the brain.
Ever since the Pleistocene era, human societies have expanded rapidly, developing innovative ways to defend their territories and migrate across the land. Consisting of an aggregate of humans living together, these societies became more powerful as time progressed by consuming more meat (megafauna). Supporting this development, the more mammals that humans would eat, the more protein their bodies would absorb. When humans consume high amounts of protein, they develop stronger muscles, which leads to the stimulation of brain activity. By way of further explanation, amino acids from the proteins are used to make the neurotransmitters that allow your brain cells to network and communicate. Amino acids that come from the protein you eat are the building blocks of your brain’s network. They can excite or calm your brain as well as nourish your brain throughout its lifetime. Also, they allow the body's own proteins to be used to support life, particularly those found in muscle. This led humans to develop intelligence and create a wide variety of tools. These tools are what the early hominids used to develop their culture into that of hunter-gatherer-fishers, making humans a more dominant mammal within that ecosystem.
Racette, S.B., Deusinger, S.S., Strube, M.J., Highstein, G.R., & Deusinger, R.H. (2005). Weight changes, exercise, and dietary patterns during freshman and sophomore years of college. Journal of American College Health, 53(8), 245-251.
...e potential to set up students for a healthier and less stressful lifestyle in the future.
...brain and malnutrition. Therefore, one’s diet is not only crucial for the physical well being but also their mental.
as a public health intervention to promote healthy lifestyles, it often is not realized there is
The brain responds very quickly to proper nutrition. However, as a college student who dines daily in the dining hall, I most likely do not get the nutrients needed to maximize my brain potential. In this post, I'm going to take you through a day of brain-friendly meals and explain why our brains and bodies need more than coffee, chocolate and pizza to thrive and survive. Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 glass of orange juice and yogurt with fresh blueberries. Most people consume a high carbohydrate breakfast of cereal, toast or pancakes after a night's sleep because the body craves those types of food when its blood sugar level is low.
Christie, Kathy. “Stateline: Even Students Are What They Eat.” The Phi Delta Kappan 84.5 (2003): 341-342. PDF file.
Many students who feel the pressure to succeed at the high school level have an unhealthy amount of stress. Students who feel this have been cheating, pulling all nighters, becoming depressed, and seeking relief in drug use, and self mutilation. On average in a recent study at Illinois high school students spend 3.07 hours of homework each night on just homework not including extra curricular activities(Jerushapope,2). Also in this high school students reported getting 6.8 hours of sleep each night, but 34.6% reported getting 6 or fewer hours of sleep(Jerushapope,2). Most high school students spend 2 hours of extra curricular activity each night thats not including homework so after those activities you have to come home and do homework and then you will not have a lot of time to sleep. Also most kids do not get a lot of time to spend with their parents during the weeknights. Some kids cannot even make it to the dinner table because they have so much homework and that is not healthy for the parents and their childs relationship. In ...
It is evident that the freshman fifteen is a social problem and health problem. Freshmen hear about it in tons of magazine, blogs, and articles. Parents and friends are all constantly presenting the issue by saying watch out for the freshman fifteen. This problem is caused by the increased amount of alcohol, fats, carbohydrates, fast food and cafeteria style food. It can lead students to be overweight, obese, and have many health problems. Students have the freedom to eat when, how, whenever they want, and there is no one to tell them what to eat or when freshman should stop. Going to college is a significant change from being in high school. Many times, being in a new environment and balancing classes can lead to the quickest and easiest eating options; these may not always be the best.
Studies have shown that many college students are not able to handle the stress while in school, which hinders the ability for the brain to act in a normal way (Shahrokh and Hales, 2003). If a person is unable to deal with the stress that one is being faced with, it will have negative consequences in terms of causing several psychological disorders (Canby et al., 2014). Entering post-secondary education is a completely new environment for students, as it can be tough for many to adjust to the new surroundings. There are many factors that cause stress when students enter college, as it can include having the ability to deal with lower marks (Struthers et al., 2000) and having to create a new social life. Once and if a social life is established, it can cause more stress among students because it can lead into peer pressure that results in risky behavior. In particular, peer pressure can cause alcoholism or drug abuse (Seiffge-Krenke, 1990) or it can also cause unprotected sex. Not only does stress revolve around peer-pressure, but it can also be caused by headaches and lack of energy. If a student is constantly staying up late to finish assignments or to study, it can cause headaches from the lack of sleep; thus causing stress. With all the given factors, it can be hard to overcome these external factors which can ultimately lead to stress among
Finally, it is a general opinion among many that academic performance is a manner of will and determination of an individual rather than their socioeconomic status. For instance, in schools of higher learning, there are a lot of students from richer backgrounds who do not perform well as compared to those perceived to be from poor backgrounds (Sacerdote, 2002). Research has shown that while socioeconomic status may influence the availability or access to learning materials, it is the student’s personal determination to excel that determines the kind of lifestyle they
Chemically, the “ benefits of exercise come directly from its ability to reduce insulin resistance, reduce inflammation, and stimulate the release of growth factors—chemicals in the brain that affect the health of brain cells, the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, and even the abundance and survival of new brain cells” (Godman). This process, known as neurogenesis, counters the primary ramifications of aging on the brain, and helps with mental clarity, decision making skills, and organization. In the long run, this continuous growth of new blood vessels and the survival of new brain cells aid
Are the new standards and expectations the world has for teenagers really creating monsters? The amount of stress that is put on students these days between trying to balance school, homework, extra curricular activities, social lives, sleep and a healthy lifestyle is being considered a health epidemic (Palmer, 2005). Students are obsessing over getting the grades that are expected of them to please those that push them, and in return, lose sleep and give up other aspects of their lives that are important to them, such as time with friends and family, as well as activities that they enjoy. The stress that they endure from the pressures of parents, teachers, colleges, and peers has many physical as well as mental effects on every student, some more harmful than others. The extreme pressure on students to get perfect grades so that they will be accepted into a college has diminished the concept of actually learning and has left the art of “financing the system” in order to succeed in its place (Palmer, 2005).
Being a successful student and achieving continued academic success is fundamental in order to complete an associate degree and become a successful professional. College is challenging, but it can be a rewarding growth experience and easier when setting up goals. Having educational and career goals helps students keep the focus and motivation. Besides, having knowledge of different learning styles can help students learn about themselves and increase efficiency while studying. Writing skills learned in college are also a powerful tool for both academic and career success. The campus is a great place to find tools to succeed and achieve continued academic success. It is also important to keep academic honesty as a good habit and as a value of integrity throughout college and later on in the professional environment.