Abstract:
This study assessed the nutritional status and cognitive performance of preschool children aged 3-5 years in urban and rural areas of Nsukka in Enugu State, Nigeria. A total of 400 pre-school children aged 3-5 years were involved. Four schools in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State were selected by multistage sampling technique. Two schools each were randomly selected from the list of schools in the Nsukka rural and urban areas. The study collected data on child related factors, mother’s socioeconomic status, household size, environmental conditions, child health and nutritional status, using structured questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements of height, weight and arm circumference were taken using standardized procedures. Ziler’s “Draw a person test” was used to assess the cognitive performance of the children. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 13 computer software. Analytical tools used included descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation). Chi-square analysis was used to appraise the validity and reliability of the dependent variables. Anthropometric values were compared with World Health Organisation child growth reference standards. About 20.5% of the children in the study area were stunted, 16.5% were underweight, and 12.0% were wasted. The prevalence of stunting, underweight, and wasting were higher among rural children than their urban counterparts. Rural male children were significantly (P<0.05) more stunted (27.8%) than urban male children (7.1%). Underweight was more prevalent among the rural (20.8%) than urban male children (13.3%). Wasting was also significantly (P<0.05) higher among rural (21.8%) than urban (8.2%) male children. Rural female children were significantly more stunted than their urban counterparts (38.4% vs 8.8%), underweight (17.2% vs. 14.7%) and wasting (14.1% vs 3.9%), respectively. There was a significant association between mothers’ education and cognitive performance of their children in the rural (X2 = 3.118; df = 2 P= 0.027) and urban (X2 = 2.891; df = 2; P= 0.029 ) areas. The study revealed the negative effect of malnutrition on cognitive performance of the children. The negative effect of malnutrition on cognitive performance of the children was more in the rural than in the urban area. Majority (81.9%) of the stunted children in the rural area and only 37.5%) in the urban area performed below average in the cognitive test. Stunting and cognitive performance of the children were significantly associated in the rural area (X2 = 1.247; df = 1; P=0.043) but not in the urban area (X2 = 0.849; df = 1; P= 0.238). The food consumption pattern varied largely between urban and rural areas. This study has provided evidence that pre-school children in Nsukka were under acute and chronic nutritional stress, especially in the rural area. Appropriate integrated public health nutrition intervention programmes, nutrition surveillance, and targeted nutrition education programmes to improve nutrition and cognitive performance of children are suggested.
