Nutritional status and intelligence of pre-school beneficiaries of ICDS and non-beneficiaries of Thrissur district

Abstract

A study on the nutritional status and intelligence of the pre-school leDS beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries in Thrissur district was carried out among 80 lCDS beneficiaries and 70 non lCDS pre-school children. The results of the study indicated that majority of the families in both the groups were Hindus and in the experimental group majority belonged to joint families while majority of the families in the control group were of nuclear type. Majority of the parents were educated and were engaged as agricultural labourers earning Rs.IOOl-2500/-. Food consumption and dietary pattern revealed that rice was the staple food and the most frequently used food items were cereals, pulses, other vegetables, milk and milk products, fish, nuts and oilseeds, spices and condiments and sugar and jaggery. Mortality and morbidity pattern was found to be very low among all the children and majorities were completely immunised in the Icns group than the non leDS group. Behavioural problems were found to be less among the leDS beneficiaries and in the intellectual performance majority of the lCDS beneficiaries belonged to the average group. The lCDS beneficiaries considered their supplementary food nutritious, sufficient and relishable. The Corn Soya Blend (CSB) was mainly served in the form of uppuma at the A Wc.

Dietary profile of pre-school children revealed that the food intake was far below the RDA level for both the groups and the nutrient intake of the lens group met the RDA level and was found to be significantly better than the non lens groups when statistically analysed. Prevalence of malnutrition as assessed by anthropometric measurements revealed that there was no incidence of severe grades of malnutrition among the pre-school children of both the lens• and non lens group while the percentage of normal children being higher in the lens group. Majority of the children in the experimental group had average IQ and IQ of the lens beneficiaries was found to be significantly better than their non lens counterparts. Both the lens and the non lens groups were statistically analysed to find out any correlation between nutritional status and intelligence and no correlation was found. When both the group were discussed as a single group and analysed 62.1 per cent and 18.4 per cent variation in IQ was explained by the nutrient intake (calorie, protein, iron and carotene) and anthropometric measurements respectively. The study shows a relationship between the nutritional status and intelligence among the lens beneficiaries.