The relationship between dietary micronutrients intake and cognition test performance among school-aged children in government-owned primary schools in Kumasi metropolis, Ghana

Abstract

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 B6, folate, vitamin B12, 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 B12 and folate intakes, respectively. More school-aged boys (66.3%) than girls (46.8%) had inadequate vitamin B12 intake (χ2 = 13.393, p