Pages: (43-49 )
Abstract
Childhood is a stage of life when all the body systems are rapidly growing and the organs are developed to perform all the biological functions. Therefore the right to food and adequate nutrition is a fundamental right of every child and crucial towards the eradication of hunger among children. This study was carried out to assess the nutritional status and dietary practices of pre-school age children and the effect on their cognitive development in Ikenne. A structured questionnaire consisting of four parts were administered among the respondents to elicit information on their dietary practices and nutritional status. A purposive sampling technique was used in selecting a total of 150 school age pupil Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics of (SPSS) version 17.The Pearson Correlation range test was used to explain the relationships that existed among the variables. The result of the analysis revealed that majority (55%) respondent eat three times a day while the minority (22%) respondents eat more than four times a day. The anthropometric assessment indicated that a higher number (76%) respondent had normal weight for their Age followed by minority (20%) respondent had moderate weight for their Age. The result also showed that there was a positive and significant (p<0.05) correlation (0.332 ⃰ ) between the type of meal and cognitive development. This implied that nutritive meals contribute to the cognitive development of a child and that an adequate nutritious food is necessary for the intellectual development of a growing child.
Keywords: Nutritional status, dietary practices, cognitive development, anthropometric assessment.,