School-age children experience rapid growth. Poor nutrition can have immediate effects on their health and academic performance. Short-term and long-term consequences include weak bones and teeth, cavities, delayed sexual maturity and obesity. Studies show a direct link between not eating breakfast and reduced intellectual performance. Poor eating behaviors early on can lead to serious disorders that affect the brain, heart and other organs and are related to other risk behaviors. Less than one in four 8th–12th graders report eating the recommended amounts of vegetables, fruits, and grains.
