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Effects of early childhood malnutrition on cognitive performance of Ghanian children
Abstract
Effects of childhood malnutrition on cognitive
performance of children in rural Ghana were investigated. Fifty-six 8–16 year
olds with histories of mild-to-moderate malnutrition in the first three years
of life and 56 matched comparisons were assessed on the Wechsler Intelligence
Scale for Children — Revised, and Raven's Progressive Matrices. In addition,
the children were evaluated by their class teachers on six academic subjects.
Socio-economic data on the children's backgrounds were also collected through
questionnaires administered to their mothers. Results showed that the
malnourished children performed poorer on all the measures than the comparison
group. Age at onset and duration of malnutrition were not found to have any
effect on the degree of impairment in cognitive performance. Analysis of the
socio-economic variables did not reveal any significant difference between the
background characteristics of the two groups of children. It was concluded that
even mild-to-moderate malnutrition in early childhood has negative effects on
cognitive performance.
Journal of Psychology in Africa
2004, 14(1): 1–7
performance of children in rural Ghana were investigated. Fifty-six 8–16 year
olds with histories of mild-to-moderate malnutrition in the first three years
of life and 56 matched comparisons were assessed on the Wechsler Intelligence
Scale for Children — Revised, and Raven's Progressive Matrices. In addition,
the children were evaluated by their class teachers on six academic subjects.
Socio-economic data on the children's backgrounds were also collected through
questionnaires administered to their mothers. Results showed that the
malnourished children performed poorer on all the measures than the comparison
group. Age at onset and duration of malnutrition were not found to have any
effect on the degree of impairment in cognitive performance. Analysis of the
socio-economic variables did not reveal any significant difference between the
background characteristics of the two groups of children. It was concluded that
even mild-to-moderate malnutrition in early childhood has negative effects on
cognitive performance.
Journal of Psychology in Africa
2004, 14(1): 1–7
