COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE OF STUNTED PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN UNDERGOING NUTRITIONAL RECOVERY TREATMENT

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Developmental Psychology
• Public Health Nutrition

Background:

• Childhood stunting is a significant public health issue with potential long-term cognitive consequences.
• Early intervention programs are crucial for mitigating the effects of malnutrition on child development.
• Specialized centers offer multidisciplinary support to address the complex needs of stunted children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a specialized treatment center on the cognitive performance of stunted children.
• To compare the developmental outcomes of stunted children receiving specialized care versus eutrophic children in a control group.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study comparing stunted children at a specialized center (CREN) with eutrophic children from a day care center.
• Developmental screening using the Denver-II Test and height-for-age index assessment at baseline, 6, and 12 months.
• Statistical analysis using Poisson regression and generalized estimating equations, adjusted for age, sex, and socioeconomic status.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in age, sex, or socioeconomic status between the 74 participating children (37 per group).
• The specialized center group demonstrated improved performance in the personal-social domain (pooled prevalence ratio: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.82-0.95).
• No significant differences were observed in other developmental domains between the groups.

Conclusions:

• Treatment at the Nutrition Education and Recovery Center (CREN) effectively enhanced the social skills of stunted children.
• The intervention did not yield significant improvements in other cognitive or developmental domains.
• Specialized, multidisciplinary care shows promise for improving specific aspects of development in vulnerable children.