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Published on: November 30, 2015
Hemoglobin Status and Externalizing Behavioral Problems in Children
Jianhua Su1, Naixue Cui2, Guoping Zhou3
1Department of Neurology, The Jintan Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University, 16 Nanmen Street, Jintan, Changzhou 213200, China. sujianhua961211@sina.com.
Insights
Low hemoglobin levels in early childhood are linked to increased behavioral problems like attention and aggression issues later on. This association persists regardless of social adversity, highlighting the importance of monitoring iron levels in children.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Nutritional Neuroscience
- Pediatric Health
Background:
- Anemia is a global nutritional problem with known negative impacts on neurobehavioral development.
- Previous research primarily focused on infantile anemia and social-emotional development.
- Further investigation is needed on the long-term effects of early childhood anemia on behavioral issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if hemoglobin (Hb) levels in early childhood correlate with externalizing behaviors.
- To assess if social adversity confounds the relationship between Hb levels and behavior.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 98 children from the China Jintan Cohort Study had Hb levels measured at age 4.
- Externalizing behaviors, including attention and aggression, were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (ASEBA-CBCL) at age 6.
- Social adversity was also recorded for each child.
Main Results:
- Children with lower Hb levels at age 4 exhibited more attention and aggression problems at age 6, independent of social adversity.
- The association between Hb and attention problems was significant in boys.
- For girls, the link between Hb and aggression was significant and interacted with social adversity.
Conclusions:
- An inverse relationship exists between early childhood hemoglobin levels and later behavioral problems.
- Monitoring children's hemoglobin levels and implementing timely interventions can aid in the early detection of behavioral issues.
- These findings underscore the critical role of adequate nutrition in supporting healthy neurobehavioral development.
Background:
Still considered one of the most prevalent nutritional problems in the world, anemia has been shown in many studies to have deleterious effects on neurobehavioral development. While most research efforts have focused on investigating the effects of anemia on social and emotional development of infants by using a cross-sectional design, research is still needed to investigate whether early childhood anemia, beyond infantile years, is linked with behavioral problems.
Objective:
This study assessed whether (1) hemoglobin (Hb) levels in early childhood are associated with externalizing behavior; and (2) this relationship is confounded by social adversity.
Methods:
Hemoglobin levels were taken from children (N = 98) of the China Jintan Cohort Study at age 4 years, and externalizing behaviors (attention and aggression) were assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist (ASEBA-CBCL) at age 6 years (mean age 5.77 ± 0.39 years old).
Results:
Compared with other children in the sample, children with relatively lower Hb levels at age 4 had more behavioral problems in both attention and aggression at age 6, independent of social adversity. For boys, this association was significant for attention problems, which did not interact with social adversity. For girls, the association was significant for aggression, which interacted with social adversity. While girls on average exhibited higher social adversity than boys, the main effect of Hb was only significant in girls with low social adversity.
Conclusions:
These results indicate that there is an inverse association between hemoglobin levels and later behavioral problems. Findings of this study suggest that regular monitoring of children's hemoglobin levels and appropriate intervention may help with early identification of behavioral problems.
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