Influence of enhanced nutrition and psychosocial stimulation in early childhood on cognitive functioning and psychological well-being in Guatemalan adults

Abstract

Rationale Early-life nutrition interventions in low and middle-income countries have demonstrated long-term benefits on cognitive skills, however, their influence on socioemotional outcomes has not been fully explored. Moreover, the mediating processes through which nutrition intervention effects operate and are maintained over time are understudied. Methods We followed-up a cohort of Guatemalan adults who participated as children in a community randomized food-supplementation trial. We examined associations of exposure to nutritional supplementation from conception to age 2 years with executive function (measured using three sub-tests of the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery) and psychological well-being (measured using two sub-scales of the NIH Toolbox Emotion Battery) at ages 40–57 years (n = 1268). We used structural equation modeling to investigate the mediating role of psychosocial stimulation (measured in childhood using parent reports and ratings of home environments), cognitive ability (measured at ages 26–42 years using standardized tests), and executive function on the association of early-life exposure to nutritional supplementation with adult psychological well-being ( n = 1640). Results We found positive but inconsistent associations of nutritional supplementation in childhood with executive function and psychological well-being in adulthood. Psychosocial stimulation, cognitive ability, and executive function did not mediate the association of early-life nutritional supplementation with adult psychological well-being. We found strong and positive associations of psychosocial stimulation in childhood with cognitive ability, executive function, and psychological well-being in adulthood. Moreover, we observed no interaction of exposure to nutritional supplementation and psychosocial stimulation in childhood with cognitive and psychological well-being outcomes in adulthood. Conclusion Our findings suggest that childhood nutrition interventions have long-lasting effects on cognitive ability and psychological well-being outcomes.

Cognitive underpinnings of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

“…EF has also been shown to correlate with highly critical health outcomes, such as better chronic disease prevention, superior treatment adherence, and higher psychological well-being ( Luerssen and Ayduk, 2017 ; Ramírez-Luzuriaga et al, 2021 ). In the domain of health behaviors that require impulse control, such as eating, weaker EF has been associated with more impulsive behaviors and obesity ( Capelli et al, 2019 ; Diamond, 2013 ; Hoffman et al, 2012 ) Following this reasoning, we posit that beyond positively contributing to health decision-making, stronger EF enables individuals to engage in flexible thinking and overcome the reduced level of public trust inherent in the current COVID-19 infodemic.…”

Pendampingan Ibu dalam Stimulasi Perkembangan Motorik Anak pada Usia Toddler

“…Stimulasi yang jarang dilakukan dapat meyebabkan gangguan tumbuh kembang yang permanen (Ina & Septiani, 2020). Semakin sering melakukan stimulasi pada anak-anak sesuai dengan tahapan usianya akan membentuk perkembangan anak sesuai dengan karakteristiknya (Ramírez-Luzuriaga et al, 2021;Rantina, Hasmalena, & Karmila Nengsih, 2021).…”

“…Keluarga sangat memiliki peranan penting dalam pemberian stimulasi perkembangan motorik kepada anaknya khususnya ibu dalam mencegah keterlambatan perkembangan anak mereka (Ayuba, 2015;Entoh et al, 2020;Labir, Sulisnadewi, & Sumirta, 2016;Rahmawati, 2019;Rukmini, 2019). Proses tumbuh kembang anak sangat dipengaruhi oleh kondisi keluarga latar belakang seperti tingkat pendidikan orang tua, pekerjaan dan pendapatan orang tua, jumlah saudara dan jenis kelamin, latar belakang budaya, adat istiadat, agama dan asupan gizi seimbang (Prado et al, 2017;Ramírez-Luzuriaga et al, 2021;Rantina et al, 2021). Masalah tumbuh kembang pada anak dapat disebabkan juga oleh faktor genetik dan faktor lingkungan karena kebutuhan dasar tumbuh kembang anak yang tidak tercukupi.…”

Pengembangan Buku Stimulasi dan Deteksi Tumbuh Kembang Anak Usia Dini Berbasis ICT

“…Kurangnya stimulasi dapat mengakibatkan penyimpangan tumbuh kembang anak bahkan gangguan yang menetap. Hal ini sejalan dengan pendapat (María J. Ramírez-Luzuriagaa, Ann M. DiGirolamob, Reynaldo Martorella,c, Manuel Ramírez-Zead, Rachel Waforda,c, 2021) bahwa stimulasi yang diperoleh dari lingkungan keluarga selama anak-anak sesuai dengan tahapan usia nya terutama pada aspek sosial dan intelektual akan membentuk perkembangan anak sesuai dengan karakteristiknya. Terdapat banyak faktor menurut Soetjningsih yang menyebabkan dan berpengaruh pada tumbuh kembang anak seperti latar belakang pendidikan orang tua, pekerjaan orang tua, jumlah saudara dan perbedaan jenis kelamin dalam anggota keluarga, kepribadian ayah/ibu yang dipengaruhi dari latar belakang budaya, adat istiadat, agama , dan bias disebabkan karena urbanisasi dan kehidupan politik (Eko Suryani, 2016) Tumbuh kembang pada setiap anak perlu diperoleh dari proses pengasuhan, perlindungan serta stimulasi rutin terutama pada usia balita.…”