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Company-Córdoba R, Accerenzi M, Simpson IC, Ibáñez-Alfonso JA. ‘Mens sana in corpore Sano’: Home food consumption implications over child cognitive performance in vulnerable contexts. Front Psychol 2022; 13:994399. [PMID: 36389522 PMCID: PMC9665114 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.994399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Diet directly affects children’s physical and mental development. Nonetheless, how food insecurity and household food consumption impact the cognitive performance of children at risk of social exclusion remains poorly understood. In this regard, children in Guatemala face various hazards, mainly related to the socioeconomic difficulties that thousands of families have in the country. The main objective of this study was to analyze the differences in cognitive performance considering food insecurity and household food consumption in a sample of rural and urban Guatemalan children and adolescents at risk of social exclusion. Child cognitive performance was assessed in 134 children and adolescents (age M = 11.37; SD = 3.54) from rural and urban settings. Language, attention, and executive functions were assessed using neuropsychological tasks. Differences in cognitive performance in each level of food insecurity and household diet consumption were compared using the Mann–Whitney U test. A stepwise multivariate regression analysis was conducted to determine which factors may influence cognitive scores. The results showed that rural and urban groups did not differ in terms of food insecurity. However, considering just rural areas, differences were found between groups with food security and insecurity in attention and executive function tasks. Moreover, differences were found in food consumption for certain groups of food (e.g., meat, U = 1,146, p < 0.001, g = 0.72). Regarding regressions, protein food consumption (e.g., meat and fish), which is related to having a more balanced diet, was a relevant factor in executive performance. Contrary to what we expected, performance in attentional tasks was not related to the consumption of any food group. These findings could help politicians and decision-makers to select actions focused on improving diet balance and food security in families at risk of social exclusion. It is necessary to carry out more specific studies on the factors related to diet that affect the cognitive development of minors at risk of social exclusion. In addition, it is necessary to study the implementation of alternative interventions that include low-cost nutrients, thus ensuring that minors have access to a more balanced diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosalba Company-Córdoba
- Human Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychology, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Seville, Spain
- ETEA Foundation, Development Institute of Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Michela Accerenzi
- ETEA Foundation, Development Institute of Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Ian Craig Simpson
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Joaquín A. Ibáñez-Alfonso
- Human Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychology, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Seville, Spain
- ETEA Foundation, Development Institute of Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Córdoba, Spain
- *Correspondence: Joaquín A. Ibáñez-Alfonso,
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Children Receiving a Nutrition and High-Quality Early Childhood Education Intervention Are Associated with Greater Math and Fluid Intelligence Scores: The Guatemala City Municipal Nurseries. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14071366. [PMID: 35405979 PMCID: PMC9003089 DOI: 10.3390/nu14071366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: About 47% of children < 5 years of age are stunted in Guatemala. In this study, the investigators aimed to compare growth and cognitive outcomes between children in second grade that attended five Guatemala City Municipal Nurseries (GCMN) vs. same sex, grade, and age-matched children. Methods: A cross-sectional design nested in a retrospective cohort was implemented between 2015 and 2019. Children that attended the GCMN and matched controls completed a math test and validated receptive language and fluid intelligence tests. The primary caregivers completed a sociodemographic survey. General and generalized linear mixed effect models were used to compare children that attended the GCMN vs. controls. The models were adjusted by maternal education, sex, asset score, and other relevant covariates. Results: Children that attended the GCMN exhibited greater math and fluid intelligence scores relative to the controls in the adjusted models (ß = 6.48; 95% CI (2.35−10.61)) and (ß = 1.20; 95% CI (0.12−2.29)), respectively. Lower odds of stunting were significant for children who went to any early childcare institution (AOR = 0.28; 95% CI (0.09−0.89)). Conclusions: The importance of integrating nutrition and high-quality early childhood education interventions in cognitive and growth outcomes is highlighted in this study. The GCMN model may be a scalable model in similar low-resource settings.
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Ibáñez-Alfonso JA, Hernández-Cabrera JA, Duñabeitia JA, Estévez A, Macizo P, Bajo MT, Fuentes LJ, Saldaña D. Socioeconomic Status, Culture, and Reading Comprehension in Immigrant Students. Front Psychol 2021; 12:752273. [PMID: 34867643 PMCID: PMC8641651 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.752273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on reading comprehension in immigrant students is heterogeneous and conflicting. Differences in socioeconomic status and cultural origins are very likely confounds in determining whether differences to native pupils can be attributed to immigrant status. We collected data on 312 Spanish students of Native, of Hispanic origin–therefore with the same family language as native students- and Non-Hispanic origin, while controlling for socioeconomic status, non-verbal reasoning and school membership. We measured reading comprehension, knowledge of syntax, sentence comprehension monitoring, and vocabulary. Differences among groups appeared only in vocabulary and syntax (with poorer performance in the non-Hispanic group), with no differences in reading comprehension. However, regression analyses showed that most of the variability in reading comprehension was predicted by age, socioeconomic status, non-verbal reasoning, and comprehension monitoring. Group membership did not significantly contribute to explain reading comprehension variability. The present study supports the idea that socioeconomically disadvantaged students, both native and immigrants from diverse cultural backgrounds, irrespective of the language of origin, are probably equally at risk of poor reading comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joaquín A Ibáñez-Alfonso
- Individual Differences, Language and Cognition Lab, Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain.,Human Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychology, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Seville, Spain
| | - Juan Andrés Hernández-Cabrera
- Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Behavioral Sciences, Universidad de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Jon Andoni Duñabeitia
- Centro de Investigación Nebrija en Cognición, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Language and Culture, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Adelina Estévez
- Department of Cognitive, Social and Organizational Psychology, Universidad de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Pedro Macizo
- Memory and Language Research Group, Department of Experimental Psychology, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - María Teresa Bajo
- Memory and Language Research Group, Department of Experimental Psychology, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Luis J Fuentes
- Department of Basic Psychology and Methodology, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - David Saldaña
- Individual Differences, Language and Cognition Lab, Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
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Gerosa A, Koleszar V, Tejera G, Gómez-Sena L, Carboni A. Cognitive abilities and computational thinking at age 5: Evidence for associations to sequencing and symbolic number comparison. COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION OPEN 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.caeo.2021.100043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/30/2022] Open
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Ibáñez-Alfonso JA, Company-Córdoba R, García de la Cadena C, Sianes A, Simpson IC. How Living in Vulnerable Conditions Undermines Cognitive Development: Evidence from the Pediatric Population of Guatemala. CHILDREN-BASEL 2021; 8:children8020090. [PMID: 33572817 PMCID: PMC7912439 DOI: 10.3390/children8020090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Low-socioeconomic backgrounds represent a risk factor for children’s cognitive development and well-being. Evidence from many studies highlights that cognitive processes may be adversely affected by vulnerable contexts. The aim of this study was to determine if living in vulnerable conditions affects childhood cognitive development. To achieve this, we assessed the performance of a sample of 347 Guatemalan children and adolescents aged from 6 to 17 years (M = 10.8, SD = 3) in a series of 10 neuropsychological tasks recently standardized for the pediatric population of this country. Two-fifths of the sample (41.5%) could be considered to have vulnerable backgrounds, coming from families with low-socioeconomic status or having had a high exposure to violence. As expected, results showed lower scores in language and attention for the vulnerable group. However, contrary to expectations, consistent systematic differences were not found in the executive function tasks. Vulnerable children obtained lower scores in cognitive flexibility compared to the non-vulnerable group, but higher scores in inhibition and problem-solving tasks. These results suggest the importance of developing pediatric standards of cognitive performance that take environmental vulnerable conditions into consideration. These findings, one of the first obtained in the Guatemalan population, also provide relevant information for specific educational interventions and public health policies which will enhance vulnerable children and adolescent cognitive development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joaquín A. Ibáñez-Alfonso
- Department of Psychology, Human Neuroscience Lab, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 41704 Sevilla, Spain; (J.A.I.-A.); (R.C.-C.); (I.C.S.)
- ETEA Foundation, Development Institute of Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 14004 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Rosalba Company-Córdoba
- Department of Psychology, Human Neuroscience Lab, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 41704 Sevilla, Spain; (J.A.I.-A.); (R.C.-C.); (I.C.S.)
- ETEA Foundation, Development Institute of Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 14004 Córdoba, Spain
| | | | - Antonio Sianes
- Research Institute on Policies for Social Transformation, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 14004 Córdoba, Spain
- Correspondence:
| | - Ian Craig Simpson
- Department of Psychology, Human Neuroscience Lab, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 41704 Sevilla, Spain; (J.A.I.-A.); (R.C.-C.); (I.C.S.)
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De Las Heras J, Diez I, Jimenez-Marin A, Cabrera A, Ramos-Usuga D, Diaz-Fernandez MV, Torices L, Nunes-Xavier CE, Pulido R, Arango-Lasprilla JC, Cortes JM. Brain Circuit Alterations and Cognitive Disability in Late-Onset Cobalamin D Disorder. J Clin Med 2020; 9:E990. [PMID: 32252256 PMCID: PMC7231091 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9040990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies describing brain circuits' alterations in cobalamin (vitamin B12)-deficient patients are limited and have not been carried out in patients with inborn errors of cobalamin metabolism. The objective of this study was to assess brain functionality and brain circuit alterations in a patient with an ultra-rare inborn error of cobalamin metabolism, methylmalonic aciduria, and homocystinuria due to cobalamin D disease, as compared with his twin sister as a healthy control (HC). We acquired magnetic resonance imaging (including structural, functional, and diffusion images) to calculate brain circuit abnormalities and combined these results with the scores after a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. As compared with HC, the patient had severe patterns of damage, such as a 254% increment of ventricular volume, pronounced subcortical and cortical atrophies (mainly at striatum, cingulate cortex, and precuneus), and connectivity alterations at fronto-striato-thalamic circuit, cerebellum, and corpus callosum. In agreement with brain circuit alterations, cognitive deficits existed in attention, executive function, inhibitory control, and mental flexibility. This is the first study that provides the clinical, genetic, neuroanatomical, neuropsychological, and psychosocial characterization of a patient with the cobalamin D disorder, showing functional alterations in central nervous system motor tracts, thalamus, cerebellum, and basal ganglia, that, as far as we know, have not been reported yet in vitamin B12-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier De Las Heras
- Division of Pediatric Metabolism, Cruces University Hospital, 48903 Barakaldo, Spain; (J.D.L.H.); (M.V.D.-F.)
- Inborn Errors of Metabolism Group, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, 48903 Barakaldo, Spain
- Department of Pediatrics, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - Ibai Diez
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
- Neurotechnology Laboratory, Tecnalia Health Department, 48160 Derio, Spain
| | - Antonio Jimenez-Marin
- Computational Neuroimaging Group, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, 48903 Barakaldo, Spain;
- Biomedical Research Doctorate Program, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940 Leioa, Spain;
| | | | - Daniela Ramos-Usuga
- Biomedical Research Doctorate Program, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940 Leioa, Spain;
- Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, 48903 Barakaldo, Spain
| | | | - Leire Torices
- Biomarkers in Cancer Unit, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, 48903 Barakaldo, Spain; (L.T.); (C.E.N.-X.); (R.P.)
| | - Caroline E. Nunes-Xavier
- Biomarkers in Cancer Unit, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, 48903 Barakaldo, Spain; (L.T.); (C.E.N.-X.); (R.P.)
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | - Rafael Pulido
- Biomarkers in Cancer Unit, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, 48903 Barakaldo, Spain; (L.T.); (C.E.N.-X.); (R.P.)
- IKERBASQUE. Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Juan Carlos Arango-Lasprilla
- Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, 48903 Barakaldo, Spain
- IKERBASQUE. Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - Jesus M. Cortes
- Computational Neuroimaging Group, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, 48903 Barakaldo, Spain;
- IKERBASQUE. Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940 Leioa, Spain
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