Association between five common diseases and academic performance among middle school students

Objective To explore the relationship between five common diseases and academic performance,and to provide evidence and recommendations for students health control and prevention.Methods A total of 480 students from 2 middle schools across Dongcheng,Shunyi District in Beijing were chosen as subjects (grade 7 and grade 8).Health surveillance and academic performance were collected.Results The prevalence of five common diseases among middle school students were:myopia (74.6%),overweight/obesity (38.3%),dental caries (19.2%),anemia (2.5%) and malnutrition (3.3%),with an overall prevalence being 90.6%.Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that the rate of average academic grades above 60 points was higher among students with myopia (OR =1.823,P =0.012),while it was the opposite among overweight/obesity students (OR =0.675,P=0.002).After controlling for confounding factors,the association between overweight/obesity and academic achievements persisted.Conclusion Myopia and overweight/obesity is highly prevalent among middle school students and closely associates with academic performance.The prevention and control of student's common diseases need to be strengthened both for the sake of health and academic achievement.