A STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF EARLY MALNUTRITION ON SOME ASPECTS OF THE HEALTH OF SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN

Abstract

A group of 90 Indonesian children whose nutritional status has been studied over a two year period from 1957 to 1959 were again examined in 1964. The children of the malnourished group were smaller and in poorer physical condition than those of the healthy group.
The I. Q. lowest values were found in the children who had been malnourished and had shown clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency during the 2-4 year age period, the highest in those who had never been diagnosed as malnourished.
No similar relation between EEG results and nutritional condition was found. However, the ERG recordings had shown that in the 5-9 year old group there was a lower response in children with low serum vitamin A.
The dietary study showed a low food intake with deficiency of protein, particularly animal protein, and vitamin A. For vitamin A alone of the major nutrients, the intake of the children was much lower than that of the mothers.
The persistence over a period of years of signs of malnutrition in children who had suffered malnutrition and especially in those where malnutrition was combined with vitamin A deficiency is indicative, but not conclusive, of a late effect of early damage.