Nutritional and socio-economic determinants of cognitive function and educational achievement of Aboriginal schoolchildren in rural Malaysia

2015 ◽  
pp. 289-298
Author(s):  
B Hasbullah ◽  
Mariani Nor
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Economic Determinants

scholarly journals Nutritional and socio-economic determinants of cognitive function and educational achievement of Aboriginal schoolchildren in rural Malaysia

2011 ◽  
Vol 106 (7) ◽  
pp. 1100-1106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hesham M. Al-Mekhlafi ◽  
Mohammed A. Mahdy ◽  
Atiya A. Sallam ◽  
W. A. Ariffin ◽  
Abdulsalam M. Al-Mekhlafi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Multiple Regression Model ◽  
Stepwise Multiple Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Stepwise Multiple Regression Model

A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among Aboriginal schoolchildren aged 7–12 years living in remote areas in Pos Betau, Pahang, Malaysia to investigate the potential determinants influencing the cognitive function and educational achievement of these children. Cognitive function was measured by intelligence quotient (IQ), while examination scores of selected school subjects were used in assessing educational achievement. Blood samples were collected to assess serum Fe status. All children were screened for soil-transmitted helminthes. Demographic and socio-economic data were collected using pre-tested questionnaires. Almost two-thirds (67·6 %) of the subjects had poor IQ and most of them (72·6 %) had insufficient educational achievement. Output of the stepwise multiple regression model showed that poor IQ was significantly associated with low household income which contributed the most to the regression variance (r2 0·059; P = 0·020). Low maternal education was also identified as a significant predictor of low IQ scores (r2 0·042; P = 0·043). With educational achievement, Fe-deficiency anaemia (IDA) was the only variable to show significant association (r2 0·025; P = 0·015). In conclusion, the cognitive function and educational achievement of Aboriginal schoolchildren are poor and influenced by household income, maternal education and IDA. Thus, effective and integrated measures to improve the nutritional and socio-economic status of rural children would have a pronounced positive effect on their education.

scholarly journals Cognitive Function in Patients Undergoing Arthroplasty: The Implications for Informed Consent

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Demosthenous ◽  
J. P. St Mart ◽  
P. Jenkins ◽  
A. Chappel ◽  
Kenneth Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Informed Consent ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Orthopaedic Surgeon ◽  
Orthopaedic Surgeons ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
New Material ◽  
Higher Educational

Obtaining informed consent for an operation is a fundamental daily interaction between orthopaedic surgeon and patient. It is based on a patient's capacity to understand and retain information about the proposed procedure, the potential consequences of having it, and the alternative options available. We used validated tests of memory on 59 patients undergoing lower limb arthroplasty to assess how well they learned and recalled information about their planned procedure. All patients showed an ability to learn new material; however, younger age and higher educational achievement correlated with better performance. These results have serious implications for orthopaedic surgeons discussing planned procedures. They identify groups of patients who may require enhanced methods of communicating the objectives, risks, and alternatives to surgery. Further research is necessary to assess interventions to improve communication prior to surgery.

Effects of a Group Program to Increase Cognitive Performance Through Cognitively Stimulating Leisure Activities in Healthy Older Subjects

GeroPsych ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina A. Tesky ◽  
Christian Thiel ◽  
Winfried Banzer ◽  
Johannes Pantel
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation ◽  
Group Program ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Older Subjects

To investigate the effects of leisure activities on cognitive performance of healthy older subjects, an innovative intervention program was developed. Frequent participation in cognitively stimulating activities (i.e., reading, playing chess, or playing music) is associated with reduced risk of dementia. AKTIVA (active cognitive stimulation – prevention in the elderly) is an intervention program designed to enhance cognitive stimulation in everyday life by increasing cognitive stimulating leisure activities. The present study determines the effects of AKTIVA on cognitive function, mood and attitude toward aging in a sample of older participants from the general population. Several measurement instruments were used including the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-Cog), the Trail-Making Test (TMT), and the Memory Complaint Questionnaire (MAC-Q). Initially, the sample consisted of 307 older persons (170 female, 72 ± 7 years). The intervention was evaluated with a randomized, controlled pre-post follow-up design. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: AKTIVA intervention (n = 126), AKTIVA intervention plus nutrition and exercise counseling (n = 84), no-intervention control group (n = 97). The AKTIVA intervention consisted of 8 weekly sessions and two booster sessions after a break of 4 months. Participation in the group program resulted in positive effects on cognitive function and attitude toward aging for subassembly groups. Older persons (≥ 75 years) showed enhanced speed of information processing (by TMT Version A) (F = 4.17*, p < .05); younger participants (< 75 years) showed an improvement in subjective memory decline (by MAC-Q) (F = 2.55*, p < .05). Additionally, AKTIVA enhanced the frequency of activities for leisure activities for subassembly groups. The results of this study suggest that the AKTIVA program can be used to increase cognitively stimulating leisure activities in the elderly. Further research is necessary to identify the long-term effects of this intervention particularly with respect to the prevention of dementia.

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