22 Oct 2008

Bad habits equal bad grades

Bad health habits equal bad grades, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota's Boynton Health Service who studied more than 9 000 undergraduates from 14 Minnesota schools.

Low grades were more common among students who lacked sleep, didn't exercise, gambled, watched too much TV, and drank alcohol or smoked cigarettes. Students who suffered stress, asthma, injury or mental illness also had lower grades, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.

The findings should cause concern among students who suffer low grades due to avoidable behaviours, said lead author Dr Ed Ehlinger, Boynton's director and chief health officer. "If you're investing a lot of time and money in your education, do you really want to waste your investment on behaviours that interfere with your academic success?"

The study doesn't prove cause and effect. For example, while watching too much TV may lead to lower grades, it's also possible that lower grades cause students to watch more TV. It may also be that TV offers an escape from anxiety or depression, which could be the real cause of lower grades, the newspaper reported. – (HealthDay News, October 2008)