Playground Behaviors of School-Age Children in Relation to Nutrition, Schooling, and Family Characteristics

Food intake measured over the course of a year, duration of schooling, and family socioeconomic status (SES) were related to playground behaviors in a sample of 111 Kenyan school-age children. Better nourished children were more active, happy, and showed more leadership behavior, whereas poorly nourished children appeared more anxious on the school playground. Children who had attended less school were more solitary and inactive than children with more school experience. Aggression on the playground was related only to family background. The relations between food intake and activity level persisted even when family education, SES, and school participation were considered.