Impact of an iron rich supplement on the nutrition and cognition of selected school children

Primary school age is a dynamic period of physical growth as well as mental development of the children. But research indicates that the nutritional status of primary school-age children is unsatisfactory and has far-reaching health consequences, contributing to impairments in growth, neurobehavioral function, and unsatisfactory classroom performance. In the present 100 children in the age group of 7 to 9 years in Sulur area of Coimbatore were selected for the study. The socioeconomic and nutritional status of the children was assessed using a predesigned interview schedule. The anthropometric parameters namely the height, weight and BMI of the children was assessed. Six cognition tests developed by National Institute of Mental Health and Neurological Sciences for 7 to 9 year old children were used to assess their cognition abilities. An iron rich cookie was formulated using little millet, rice flakes, deoiled coconut meal and wheat flour. Forty mild anemic girls were selected for the three month supplementation study. Sixty gram of the formulated cookies was supplemented for the experimental group (n1=20) and the standard cookie made with wheat flour was given for the control group (n2=20). The results show that the there was a significant impact difference ((p ≤ 0.05) on the BMI values of the children after the supplementation study. There was a significant improvement in the blood haemoglobin and cognition scores when the pre and post intervention values were compared. The level of significance was 5% for three cognition tests namely personal information, Digit span and Benton Visual Retention Test and 1% significance for Mental control test. The study helped us to find the goodness of traditional food components and ways to improve the nutritional and cognition of school children.