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Journal of Education & Social Sciences - Volume 9, Issue 1 2021
By Aqsa Hussain, Maqbool H. Sial, Najam ul Hassan, Romila Qamar
10.20547/jess0912109101
Keywords: Children health status, educational performance, study time, Body Mass Index (BMI), school type, multinomial logistic model.
The study examines the effect of children's health on their educational performance in Sargodha city, Pakistan. The data utilized for the study were collected from a primary level survey of randomly selected children attending various private and public schools in Sargodha during 2016. The study employs a multinomial logistic regression model to estimate the effect of children's health status as determined by the Body Mass Index (BMI) on their academic performance. To control the role of other socio-economic factors that might affect children's educational achievements, the study also includes such variables as study hours and school type. The regression estimates reveal that controlling for other factors, children's health status has a significant positive contribution toward their educational achievements. Results also depict that school type and study hours had a significant impact on children's academic performance. Children from private schools, as compared to public schools, were more likely to achieve high scores. The study's findings suggest that to improve children's educational performance, the parents need to pay serious attention to their nutrition and health. There is also an immediate need for public policies to promote awareness about the role of children's health on their academic achievements. Additionally, the results suggest that there is a need for further research to explore the factors responsible for the relatively poor performance of the students attending public versus private schools in Sargodha.
Submission Date: 4 Nov, 2020 Reviews Completed: 2 Feb, 2021Acceptance Date: 15 Feb, 2021 Publication Date: 5 Mar, 2021