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Published on: June 30, 2020
Postinfancy growth, schooling, and cognitive achievement: Young Lives
Benjamin T Crookston1, Whitney Schott, Santiago Cueto
1Department of Health Science, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT (BTC); the Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (WS); the Grupo de Analisis para el Desarrollo, Lima, Peru (SC); the Boston University Department of International Health and Center for Global Health and Development, Boston, MA (KAD); the Department of Psychology and Child Development, Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, CA (PE); the Young Lives study, Department of International Development, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom (AG); the Nutrition and Health Sciences Program, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA (EAL); the Instituto de Investigación Nutricional, Lima, Peru (MEP); the Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA (ADS); and the Economics and Sociology Departments and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (JRB).
Catching up on growth after infancy significantly improves cognitive skills and school performance. Interventions for nutrition in early school years are also important for child development.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Nutritional Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Early life growth failure is often linked to irreversible cognitive deficits.
- This study investigates the impact of growth changes after infancy on later development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if changes in child growth after infancy are associated with schooling and cognitive achievement at age 8.
- To analyze the relationship between height-for-age z scores and cognitive outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Young Lives observational cohort (8062 children in Ethiopia, India, Peru, Vietnam).
- Assessed growth using height-for-age z score at 1 and 8 years.
- Categorized growth patterns: recovered, faltered, persistently stunted, never stunted.
Main Results:
- Early stunting (low height-for-age z score at 1 year) was linked to being overage for grade and lower cognitive achievement.
- Catch-up growth between ages 1 and 8 positively impacted mathematics, reading comprehension, and vocabulary.
- Children with recovered growth showed better outcomes than persistently stunted children.
Conclusions:
- Improvements in child growth after early faltering can significantly benefit schooling and cognitive achievement.
- While early interventions are crucial, nutritional support for preprimary and primary school-age children also warrants consideration.
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