THIS academic year, the familiar rush for back-to-school should be matched by an equally urgent question: what will our children eat and drink each day? The answer matters not only for their health, but also for their readiness to learn, concentrate and thrive.

A recent encounter with an old-fashioned aluminium lunch pan during a grocery trip brought back memories of primary school days when many children carried meals from home. The lunch pan was not merely a container. For many families, it represented affordability, care and some assurance that a child’s midday meal had nutritional value. Today, that simple assurance is much harder to take for granted.

Children may leave home without breakfast, arrive at school hungry, and then face a food environment in which sweetened drinks, fried snacks and highly processed foods are often readily available. This school year, nutrition must be treated as a central part of educational success rather than an afterthought.

The double burden at school

Jamaica is confronting what public health specialists describe as a double burden: some students go to school hungry or food insecure, while others consume too many energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and drinks and are becoming overweight or obese.

The media has repeatedly drawn attention to this troubling reality. In an editorial some months ago, estimates that between 25 and 33 per cent of Jamaican children may go to school hungry on a given day, were noted, while others rely heavily on sugary drinks and low-nutrient snacks. The same commentary cited evidence that one in three Jamaican children is overweight and reported findings from the Heart Foundation of Jamaica that nearly seven in 10 adolescents consume carbonated drinks daily.

This is not a contradiction. Hunger does not always mean thinness, and a full stomach does not necessarily mean a well-nourished child. A student may consume enough calories through sweetened beverages, patties, chips, buns, sweet biscuits and other processed products, yet still lack the protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals needed for steady growth, healthy weight and effective learning.

The concern is especially acute in the school setting, where children spend much of their day and make independent choices with limited money and strong peer influence. A nutritious breakfast packed at home can be undermined by a school day dominated by box juices, sodas, sweetened drinks and inexpensive snack foods.

Sugary drinks are not harmless

The growing normalisation of sugary beverages deserves special attention. Carbonated sodas are the most visible examples, but the issue also includes sweetened juices, flavoured drinks, energy drinks, sweetened teas and other products that may appear harmless because they are sold as refreshments.

Research among 907 Jamaican primary-school students aged seven to 11 found that sugar-sweetened beverages are frequently consumed. It also found that the school environment matters: conditions outside school grounds were significantly associated with the volume of sweetened beverages children consumed, while access to water, classroom practices and school policies influenced the intake of unsweetened drinks. Notably, about one in five students surveyed did not consume water.

That research provides an important warning. Children’s choices are shaped not only by parental instruction but by what is affordable, promoted and available in and around school compounds. When sweet drinks are easier to obtain than safe, appealing, drinking water, the healthier choice becomes the harder choice.

The health implications are serious. Sugar-sweetened drinks are associated with greater risk of overweight and obesity and contribute to the wider burden of diabetes, hypertension and other non-communicable diseases. Recent commentary underscored the concern that sugary drinks are often more available in Caribbean schools than safe drinking water, while ultra-processed foods can be cheaper than fresh produce.

The matter is now firmly on Jamaica’s policy agenda. The Government has revised the Special Consumption Tax on sugary beverages to a system based on grams of added sugar, set at 22 cents per gram, with beverages containing no added sugar attracting no tax. Fiscal measures alone, however, cannot replace practical family choices, proper school-canteen standards, reliable water access and nutrition education.

Nutrition and learning

The connection between nutrition and learning has long been a concern of Professor Fitzroy Henry, public-health nutrition specialist and researcher. His work reminds us that food security, eating patterns and academic achievement cannot be separated.

Research work led by Professor Henry and conducted among 979 students at three Jamaican tertiary educational institution, explored the relationship among hunger, eating patterns, body weight and academic performance. The study used reported grade point average as an indicator of performance and examined factors including body mass index, weight status, weight changes and levels of hunger.

Its most compelling message was about hunger. Among students with a GPA below 2.5, 78.6 per cent reported experiencing moderate to severe hunger while in college. By comparison, 63 per cent of those with GPAs above 3.2 reported moderate to severe hunger. The study concluded that students reporting more severe hunger generally had lower GPAs than those with no or mild hunger.

While the research focused on tertiary level students, its implications begin much earlier. A child who repeatedly arrives at primary or secondary school without breakfast, cannot afford a balanced lunch, or relies on sugary drinks for energy may carry those nutritional disadvantages through the education system.

Professor Henry’s research also helps us to avoid simplistic assumptions about body size and school performance. The relationship between weight, body mass index and grades was not straightforward or statistically significant across the study sample. What emerged more clearly was that hunger and food insecurity can undermine students’ capacity to participate fully in academic life. This is why the discussion must move beyond appearance and stigma. The goal is not to shame children about weight; it is to ensure that every child has dependable access to nutritious food and a supportive environment for healthy choices.

A practical back-to-school response

Parents, schools, vendors, policymakers and students all have a role to play. The old lunch pan still offers a useful lesson: home-packed food can be both economical and nutritionally sound.

A healthier school-day routine might include:

•A breakfast with protein and fibre, such as eggs with whole-grain bread, porridge with peanut butter, or boiled food with a protein source.

•A packed lunch built around a staple, protein and vegetables or fruit; for example, rice and peas with chicken and vegetables; ground provisions with fish; or a sandwich with egg, tuna or chicken and fresh fruit.

•Water as the default drink, carried in a reusable bottle where possible.

•Coconut water or unsweetened natural drinks in sensible portions, rather than routinely relying on sodas and heavily sweetened beverages.

•Readily available fruit, nuts, yoghurt or other nourishing snacks in place of daily chips, sweet biscuits and sugary drinks.

•Clear school standards that limit the sale and promotion of sugary beverages and ultra-processed foods while making water and healthier meals accessible.

The National School Nutrition Policy offers an important framework. It is intended to increase students’ access to safe, nutritious food while limiting the sale and promotion of sugary drinks and ultra-processed products in schools. Its effectiveness, however, will depend on consistent enforcement, affordability, canteen support, water infrastructure and cooperation from families and communities.

Food is part of learning

The beginning of a school year is an opportunity to reset habits. We should not wait until a child develops obesity, diabetes risk, poor concentration, fatigue or persistently weak academic performance before taking nutrition seriously.

A school bag should carry books, but it should also carry the possibility of a nourishing day. The lunch pan may have changed in shape and style, but its message remains relevant: children learn better when they are properly fed.

Greg-Louis Austin, PhD, is a health information management educator. E-mail: glhaustin@yahoo.com.

Greg-Louis Austin, PhD.