Introductory Post

Hi everyone, my name is Crystal Vo and I am fortunate enough to embark on the challenge of a Senior Project at BASIS Ahwatukee. I will be traveling to Saigon, Vietnam to determine the extent of nutrition on adolescents in Vietnamese schools. I will outline my question below and a couple of aspects I will consider while I am in Vietnam:

How do health related behaviors, specifically nutrition, affect academic performance of Vietnamese children?

• To determine the extent of nutrition on academic performance of a wide range of age groups on Vietnam

• Determine if nutrition a major factor in the academic success of children in Vietnam

• Understand both short-term and long-term effects

• Determine the food options readily available and their nutritional value

• Relate findings to how society deals with the challenge of providing a balanced meal for all their students

• Determine average caloric intake with an average diet

• Relate findings to what Americans consider to be a “healthy” diet

As a student aspiring to become a pharmacist in the future, I hope to broaden my mindset by diverging my scope to understand health-related behaviors in children and the effects on overall academic performance. I hope to understand both psychological cognition on developmental learning and adverse health effects on the youth with various conditions and exposures to external factors. I seek to understand if there are particular requirements for an environment that help students intellectually thrive in contrast to another. My hope for this project is to immerse myself in a different culture and broaden my awareness and mindset on issues that students in America may not always understand or experience themselves. 

I plan to visit 3-4 schools that will range from 6-18 years old in the city area of Saigon, Vietnam. I will distribute and collect anonymous surveys to inquire the typical diet and average caloric intake and determine the extent of nutrition on academic success. In America, we do not always recognize our eating habits but the typical caloric intake is a little over 2,200 calories. With the convenience of fast food and cheap alternatives, the highest obesity rate in children from the ages of 10-17 is 21.1% (Statistic from "the State of Obesity"). Furthermore, the United States compared to other countries only rank in the middle of the pack. 

Nutrition is an important factor to a child’s health, impacting thinking skills, behaviors, cognitive ability, and mental concentration. Researcher has found that diets with an emphasis on unhealthy trans and saturated fats negatively impact a child’s memory and ability to fully comprehend information. Depending on the age of the student, the Mayo Clinic outlines a healthy balanced diet contains: protein, fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy. But how much does nutrition really impact academic performance, especially for an audience that lies on the other side of the world? 

Stay tuned as I embark on a journey to explore the city that buzzes with life, energy, and culture to understand how our eating habits can influence how we preform on a daily basis. 

Crystal Vo