A Cross-Sectional Study of the Relationship Between Dietary Micronutrient Intake, Cognition and Academic Performance...

Adequate nutrient intake is crucial for cognitive development and academic performance in schoolchildren. This study assessed the association between dietary intake and both cognition and academic performance in school-aged children from Taabo, Côte d'Ivoire.

A total of 252 schoolchildren aged 6-12 years were randomly selected from seven public primary schools. Dietary intake was assessed using repeated 24 h recalls. Cognitive skills were evaluated using Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM) and academic performance was determined based on end-of-year school results.

More than half of the participants had adequate intakes of vitamin A (55.8%), vitamin B6 (61.0%), vitamin B12 (61.0%) and omega-3 fatty acids (70.1%), while most had inadequate intakes of iron (96.8%), zinc (100%), thiamin (99.2%), riboflavin (99.6%) and folate (96.8%). Thiamin, riboflavin, folate, iron, zinc and a nutrient blend (comprising iron, zinc, thiamin, riboflavin and folate) showed significant associations with RCPM scores (p < 0.05). Additionally, higher intakes of thiamin (AOR = 6.3; 95% CI: 2.5-16.0, p < 0.001) and riboflavin (AOR = 2.2; 95% CI: 1.5-7.8, p = 0.003) were associated with increased odds of better cognitive performance compared with lower intakes. No consistent associations were found with academic performance.

Compared to recommendations, intakes of several micronutrients were inadequate in most of the children. While thiamin, riboflavin, folate, iron, zinc and the nutrient blend showed significant associations with cognition, no association was found with academic performance. Further studies exploring such links are needed, especially those involving interventions.