Relationship Between Nutritional Status and Mental Development of Children in Elka Na Mataramofa, East Showa
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Date
1996-05
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Addis Abeba Universty
Abstract
Malnutrition is one of the major problem in the world
particularly in developing countries and it is endemic in
Ethiopia. Different studies have showed that severe malnutrition
during infancy negatively affects mental development. Most
malnutrition begins in the second year of life, and most of it
is chronic and mild to moderate in severity. This is why the
current study is looking at even mildly malnourished children 1
- 4 years of age.
To assess the mental development of children in relation to
their nutritional status , 111 children 12 - 42 months of age
from a single peasant association were taken in this study. From
these children 49.5% were under weight , 52.2% were stunted and
9.9% were wasted. The mean Bayley score was 88 and SD 13. Most
(71.2%) scored 76 - 101.
The mean Bayley score between those stunted and non-stunted
showed a significant difference. Multiple linear regression also
showed H/A significantly related to mental development. In
addition to nutritional status, birth order and delivery events
were shown to have strong relation to mental development.
Therefore we recommend an extensive health education on
nutrition, expansion of delivery services to the rural
population and further research on mental development of
children with emphasis on the effect of family interaction and
child rearing practice on mental development.
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Relationship Between Nutritional Status