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Nutritional Status and Its Association with Cognitive Function among School Aged Children at Soddo Town and Soddo

Tesfaye Honja Kabero1, Tafese Bosha2, Fentaw Wassie Feleke3

  • 1South Nations Nationalities Peoples Regional Health Bureau Alive and Thrive Multi-sectorial Nutrition Project Coordinator, Hawassa, Ethiopia.

Global Pediatric Health
|July 15, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Cognitive function and school performance are lower in rural Ethiopian children, linked to stunting. Maternal education and wealth positively impact these outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Child Health
  • Nutritional Science
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Approximately 1 billion globally, stunted school-aged children experience impaired mental development, affecting cognitive performance and productivity.
  • Limited evidence exists on cognitive function, school performance, and associated factors in school-aged children, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess cognitive function and school performance in 7-10-year-old children in Soddo Town and Soddo Zuriya Woreda, Ethiopia.
  • To determine the association between cognitive function, school performance, and nutritional status in this population.

Main Methods:

  • An institutional comparative cross-sectional study involving 178 primary school children.
  • Cognitive function assessed using Raven's Color Progressive Matrices (RCPM) and Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (KABC-II).
  • School performance evaluated via mid-year examination results; data analyzed using SPSS, WHO Anthro plus, and regression analyses.

Main Results:

  • Urban children demonstrated significantly higher cognitive test scores (RCPM: 18.7±3.4 vs. 16.5±3.3) and school performance compared to rural children (P < .001).
  • Maternal education and wealth index positively predicted cognitive function and school performance (P < .006).
  • Stunting was a significant negative predictor of both cognitive function and school performance (P < .001).

Conclusions:

  • Cognitive function and school performance are significantly associated with nutritional status in Ethiopian school children.
  • Urban children outperformed their rural counterparts, highlighting disparities possibly linked to socioeconomic and nutritional factors.
  • Interventions addressing stunting, maternal education, and socioeconomic status are crucial for improving cognitive and academic outcomes.

Keywords:
cognitive functionruralschool childrenschool performanceurban

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