Engle Patrice L, Fernández Patricia D
Department of Psychology and Child Development, Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, California 93407, USA.
Food Nutr Bull. 2010 Mar;31(1):83-94. doi: 10.1177/156482651003100109.
The Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) has made major contributions to the study of the effects of malnutrition on learning. This report summarizes work on the relationship of nutrition to children's learning and development from the 1960's through 1998. The Oriente Longitudinal Study examined the effects of two types of supplementation for mothers and young children on their growth and development (an energy-only drink compared with a protein-energy drink) using a quasi-experimental design. Both drinks were supplemented with micronutrients, and were offered daily. As a result of the research on malnutrition and mental development, researchers could conclude by 1993 that supplementary feeding of infants and young children resulted in significant increases cognitive development and school performance through adolescence. The research also suggested that the pathways that link malnutrition with later development are not only through the neurological system but also operate through changes in child behavior which affect the kinds of care children receive. Other research on learning and development showed that families understood the concept of intelligence, demonstrated the link between micronutrients and cognitive development, and documented the amount of wastage or repetition and drop-out that occurs in Guatemalan schools.
中美洲和巴拿马营养研究所(INCAP)在营养不良对学习影响的研究方面做出了重大贡献。本报告总结了从20世纪60年代到1998年期间营养与儿童学习和发展关系的相关工作。东方纵向研究采用准实验设计,考察了对母亲和幼儿进行两种类型补充(一种仅含能量的饮料与一种蛋白质 - 能量饮料)对其生长发育的影响。两种饮料都添加了微量营养素,且每日提供。由于对营养不良与智力发育的研究,到1993年研究人员可以得出结论,婴幼儿补充喂养能显著提高认知发展水平,并使整个青春期的学业表现得到提升。该研究还表明,将营养不良与后期发育联系起来的途径不仅通过神经系统,还通过儿童行为的变化起作用,而这些行为变化会影响儿童所得到的照料类型。其他关于学习和发展的研究表明,家庭理解智力的概念,证明了微量营养素与认知发展之间的联系,并记录了危地马拉学校中出现的浪费、留级和辍学情况。