Aims: The primary aim of the study was to examine the statistical association between healthy eating habits and academic achievement in Mathematics among ninth-standard students in the Pudukkottai District. The study specifically aimed to analyze how dietary practices such as eating meals at the right time and consuming food mainly at home influence students' performance in Mathematics. Furthermore, the research sought to determine whether students who consistently follow healthy eating behaviours demonstrate higher levels of academic achievement compared to students with irregular or unhealthy eating habits. Research Approach: A sample of 1,500 ninth-standard students was selected from 60 schools through a simple random sampling technique using the lottery method, ensuring equal representation and minimizing selection bias. The research instrument used for data collection was the Healthy Food Habits Scale, a researcher-developed five-point Likert-type scale comprising 30 statements related to dietary behaviour and eating practices. The scale included response categories ranging from "Always" to "Never" and was designed to measure dimensions such as timely eating, consumption of home-cooked food, and regular healthy dietary practices. The collected data were systematically classified and analyzed using percentage analysis and the chi-square test of independence to determine the statistical association between healthy eating habits and academic achievement in Mathematics. Findings: The findings revealed a strong and statistically significant association between healthy eating habits and academic achievement in Mathematics. The chi-square analysis demonstrated that students, who consistently practiced healthy eating behaviours, particularly eating meals at the right time and consuming food primarily at home, achieved substantially higher scores in Mathematics compared to students with irregular or unhealthy dietary habits. Students categorized under "Always" and "Most of the Time" responses were predominantly concentrated in the higher achievement ranges (61-80 and 81-100), whereas students who "Rarely" or "Never" followed healthy eating practices were largely represented in the lower achievement categories (0-20 and 21-40). The findings analytically establish that nutritional discipline positively influences cognitive functioning, academic concentration, problem-solving ability, and mathematical performance among adolescents. Validity & Reliability: The validity of the study was ensured through a systematic and scientifically structured research process. Content validity of the Healthy Food Habits Scale was established by incorporating major dimensions of healthy dietary practices relevant to adolescents, including meal timing, home-based food consumption, and balanced eating behaviour. The instrument was carefully designed in alignment with the objectives and hypotheses of the study. The obtained reliability coefficient indicated satisfactory internal consistency of the scale, confirming that the items consistently measured healthy eating habits among students. In addition, the use of standardized half-yearly Mathematics examination scores as indicators of academic achievement increased the objectivity and reliability of the dependent variable.
Dr. B.PRABAKARAN (Thu,) studied this question.