Assessment of Cognitive Function of 4‐5 Year Old Children and of Iron Status of Mother‐Child Dyads in Northern Jordan

Abstract

Cognitive function was assessed in children using scales from the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test‐IV (PPVT‐IV) and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K‐ABC‐II). Family socioeconomics, anthropometrics, hemoglobin, ferritin, and transferrin receptors (TfRs) were determined in 93 mothers and their children. Mean age (SD) of mothers was 34.0 (6.0) y and of children was 60.7 (5.4) mo. Body mass index (BMI) of mothers was 29.6 (15.2) with 77% of women having BMI = 25 kg/m2. Plasma ferritin for 53.8% of women was <15 µg/L and 44.1% had TfRs = 8.5 mg/L. Only 16% of children had ferritin <12 µg/L and 14% had TfRs = 8.5 mg/L. Mothers with lower incomes had higher TfRs. No significant differences in iron status or cognitive test scores were found between boys and girls. Neither ferritin nor TfRs predicted children's test performance. Children from higher‐income families had higher mean scores on non‐verbal and simultaneous indices from the K‐ABC‐II and on the PPVT. Using stepwise regression, age and kindergarten (KG) attendance significantly predicted mean scores on non‐verbal and simultaneous indices from K‐ABC‐II, and KG but not age predicted the sequential index from the K‐ABC‐II. Children of mothers with high school education or above (n=56) had higher non‐ verbal, simultaneous, and sequential scores on indices from the K‐ABC‐II and the PPVT compared to children whose mothers had less education. Family income, mothers' education, and KG attendance had significant effects on children's cognitive function. (Supported by Oklahoma State University)