Nutritional status and its impact on health, intellectual development and scholastic achievement in pre-school and primary school children in Cairo

The present study aimed to assess the magnitude of malnutrition among pre-school and primary school children and its impact on health, intellectual development and scholastic achievement. The subjects of this study were [292] pre-school and [1707] primary school children chosen randomly from schools in Cairo Governorate during the first semester of academic year 1989/1990. The nutritional status was assessed by anthropometric measurement, dietary survey, and biochemical examination. Draw-A-Man test was used to measure the intelligene quotient. The scholastric achievement was assessed by score of children given through periodic and final academic examination. The results of this study yielded a positive correlation between nutritional status and intellectual development as well as scholastic achievement, and parents education and socio-economic standard. However, while a negative relation was found between nutritional status, I.Q, scholastic achievement, and family size and birth order of the child. The relation between haemoglobin concentration, urinary yrea nitrogen/creatinin ratio and the nutritional status, I.Q, and scholastic achievement of children was not statistically significant