Association between micronutrient intake and cognitive performance of school-aged children attending selected private schools in Lagos State

Abstract

Background: It has been reported that the academic performance of school-aged children has been on the decline in recent years. Feeding pattern determines micronutrient consumption and plays an important role in cognitive performance. Objectives: This research assessed the micronutrient consumption, feeding pattern, and cognitive performance of school-aged children in selected private schools in Lagos State. Methods: The socio-demographic characteristics of the parents and children, knowledge of parents on micronutrients, feeding pattern of the children, and identifying micronutrient-rich food among consumed foods were obtained using a semi-structured questionnaire. The micronutrient intake was assessed using twenty-four-hour dietary recall and the cognitive performance of the respondents was evaluated with structured questions from Slosson’s intelligence test revised third edition after which the micronutrient consumption was correlated against overall cognitive performance using Pearson’s multiple correlation range test. Results: The results indicated that the feeding pattern of the children showed that 51.3% were fed three times a day, 47.3% took snacks at least once a day and more than half (52.0%) took fruits and vegetables once a day. The micronutrient-rich foods among consumed foods were identified and they include efo and egusi, ewedu, okro, apple, orange, and milk, among others. There was a negative correlation (p<0.05) between micronutrient consumption and cognitive performance among the students studied. Conclusion: This study concludes that an increase in micronutrient consumption alone does not increase cognitive performance.