Title: Effect of anaemia on cognitive function in children

Authors: Ruchika Handa, Faizan Ahamad, Kavindra Kumar Kesari, Ranu Prasad

Addresses: Department of Foods and Nutrition, College of Home Science and Women Development, Allahabad Agricultural Institute, Deemed University, Allahabad, India. ' Department of Foods and Nutrition, College of Home Science and Women Development, Allahabad Agricultural Institute, Deemed University, Allahabad, India. ' School of Environmental Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India. ' Department of Foods and Nutrition, College of Home Science and Women Development, Allahabad Agricultural Institute, Deemed University, Allahabad, India

Abstract: Study was carried out on 150 school going children to study the relationship between iron deficiency anaemia and cognitive function. Children|s were grouped into moderate anaemic, mild anaemic and non-anaemic. Haemoglobin levels were estimated by cyanmethaemoglobin method. Results indicate that 53.33% were mild anaemic, 12% moderate anaemic and 34.67% non-anaemic. Results significantly (p < 0.05) indicates that moderate anaemic children performed poor on attention, design fluency, verbal working memory N-back 2, visual working memory N-back 2, planning, dictation, mathematical calculations, intelligence, immediate verbal learning and visual and verbal memory. Moreover, mild anaemic children performed significantly poor (p < 0.05) in attention, visual working memory N-back 2, dictation, mathematical calculations, intelligence, immediate verbal learning and visual and verbal memory. We concluded that non-anaemic children performed significantly better on cognitive function tests than mild and moderate anaemic. All data are expressed as mean ± SD and were analysed by analysis of variance by using SPSS software.

Keywords: anaemia; anthropometrics; cognitive development; intelligence; nutrition; school children; child development; iron deficiency; haemoglobin levels.

DOI: 10.1504/IJFSNPH.2009.026916

International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health, 2009 Vol.2 No.1, pp.16 - 29

Published online: 08 Jul 2009 *

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