Annan Reginald Adjetey, Apprey Charles, Asamoah-Boakye Odeafo, Okonogi Satoru, Yamauchi Taro, Sakurai Takeshi
Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biosciences, College of Science Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana.
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, School of Agricultural and Life Sciences University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan.
Food Sci Nutr. 2019 Aug 9;7(9):3042-3051. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.1162. eCollection 2019 Sep.
Nutrients are critical for optimal brain development, and good nutritional status is associated with cognitive development and improvement. The relationship between micronutrients intake and cognition in Ghanaian school-aged children has not been studied. The study investigated dietary intakes of micronutrients and cognition test performance of school-aged children. A cross-sectional study was undertaken among 438 school children, aged 9-13 years from ten randomly selected basic schools in Kumasi, Ghana. Socio-demographic data were obtained from a structured questionnaire. Dietary intakes of iron, zinc, vitamin B, folate, vitamin B, and vitamin A were determined from repeated 24-hr dietary recall data from 351 children, while cognition test was performed using a Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM), a 36-question test Among 351 children, 156 (44.4%) had inadequate zinc intake, whereas 96 (27.4%) had inadequate iron intake. More than 1 in 2 children had inadequate vitamin A intake while 55.8% and 53.0% had inadequate vitamin B and folate intakes, respectively. More school-aged boys (66.3%) than girls (46.8%) had inadequate vitamin B intake ( = 13.393, < .001), while for iron, folate, vitamin B, zinc, and vitamin A, the differences were not significant. Mean RCPM test score differed significantly between school type ( < .001), but did not differ between the different ages, and between children with adequate and inadequate iron, zinc, vitamin B vitamin B, and vitamin A intakes, except for folate intake ( = .050). Weak positive significant associations were observed between RCPM test score and zinc and folate intakes ( = .050) Dietary micronutrient intakes were inadequate in majority of these children, which put them at risk of weakened immune system and poor health, but did not show significant associations with RCPM performance. Further studies using other forms of cognition tests may help confirm our findings, and provide the impetus for the necessary interventions.
营养素对大脑的最佳发育至关重要，良好的营养状况与认知发展和改善相关。加纳学龄儿童微量营养素摄入量与认知之间的关系尚未得到研究。该研究调查了学龄儿童的微量营养素膳食摄入量和认知测试表现。在加纳库马西随机选择的10所基础学校中，对438名9至13岁的学龄儿童进行了一项横断面研究。社会人口统计学数据通过结构化问卷获得。从351名儿童的重复24小时膳食回忆数据中确定铁、锌、维生素B、叶酸、维生素B和维生素A的膳食摄入量，同时使用瑞文彩色渐进矩阵测验（RCPM）进行认知测试，这是一项包含36道题的测试。在351名儿童中，156名（44.4%）锌摄入量不足，而96名（27.4%）铁摄入量不足。超过二分之一的儿童维生素A摄入量不足，而分别有55.8%和53.0%的儿童维生素B和叶酸摄入量不足。维生素B摄入量不足的学龄男孩（66.3%）多于女孩（46.8%）（χ² = 13.393，P <.001），而对于铁、叶酸、维生素B、锌和维生素A，差异不显著。学校类型之间的平均RCPM测试分数差异显著（P <.001），但在不同年龄之间以及铁、锌、维生素B、维生素B和维生素A摄入量充足和不足的儿童之间没有差异，叶酸摄入量除外（P =.050）。在RCPM测试分数与锌和叶酸摄入量之间观察到弱的正相关显著关联（P =.050）。这些儿童中的大多数膳食微量营养素摄入量不足，这使他们面临免疫系统减弱和健康状况不佳的风险，但与RCPM表现没有显著关联。使用其他形式认知测试的进一步研究可能有助于证实我们的发现，并为必要的干预措施提供动力。
