Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Public Health Department, University of La Frontera, Temuco, Chile.
Pediatr Res. 2014 Mar;75(3):464-70. doi: 10.1038/pr.2013.232. Epub 2013 Dec 9.
Head circumference (HC), the anthropometric index of both brain development and nutritional background, has been described to be significantly associated with scholastic achievement (SA). The aim of this study was to determine the impact of nutritional background and current nutritional status parameters on SA in the Education Quality Measurement System (SIMCE) tests.
A representative sample of 33 schools was randomly chosen in the Metropolitan Region of Chile. The sample consisted of 1,353 school-aged children of both sexes, from the fifth grade of elementary school and from the first grade of high school who in 2009 took the SIMCE tests. Nutritional status was assessed through anthropometric parameters. Brain development was measured through the HC expressed as HC-for-age Z-score (Z-HC).
Students with Z-HC < -2 SD and >2 SD obtained low and high SA, respectively, both in the language and the mathematics tests (P < 0.001). In general, in both grades, those students with Z-HC ≥ 0 SD increase more than double the probability to obtain language and mathematics SA scores ≥ the median (P < 0.0001).
We confirm the hypothesis that HC is the most relevant physical index associated with SA; therefore, children with the lowest scores in the SIMCE tests probably have lower brain development.
头围（HC）是大脑发育和营养背景的人体测量指标，与学业成绩（SA）显著相关。本研究旨在确定营养背景和当前营养状况参数对智利教育质量测量系统（SIMCE）测试中 SA 的影响。
在智利首都大区随机选择了 33 所学校进行代表性抽样。样本包括来自小学五年级和高中一年级的 1353 名男女在校学生，他们于 2009 年参加了 SIMCE 测试。营养状况通过人体测量参数进行评估。大脑发育通过 HC 表示的 HC-年龄 Z 分数（Z-HC）进行测量。
Z-HC < -2 SD 和 >2 SD 的学生分别在语言和数学测试中获得低和高的 SA（均 P < 0.001）。一般来说，在两个年级中，Z-HC ≥ 0 SD 的学生获得语言和数学 SA 得分≥中位数的概率增加了两倍以上（均 P < 0.0001）。
我们证实了 HC 是与 SA 最相关的身体指标的假设；因此，在 SIMCE 测试中得分最低的儿童可能大脑发育较低。
