The relationship between dietary micronutrients intake and cognition test performance among school‐aged children in government‐owned primary schools in Kumasi metropolis, Ghana

Nutrients are critical for optimal brain development, and good nutritional status is associated with cognitive development and improvement. The relationship between micronutrients intake and cognition in Ghanaian school‐aged children has not been studied. The study investigated dietary intakes of micronutrients and cognition test performance of school‐aged children. A cross‐sectional study was undertaken among 438 school children, aged 9–13 years from ten randomly selected basic schools in Kumasi, Ghana. Socio‐demographic data were obtained from a structured questionnaire. Dietary intakes of iron, zinc, vitamin B(6), folate, vitamin B(12), and vitamin A were determined from repeated 24‐hr dietary recall data from 351 children, while cognition test was performed using a Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM), a 36‐question test. Among 351 children, 156 (44.4%) had inadequate zinc intake, whereas 96 (27.4%) had inadequate iron intake. More than 1 in 2 children had inadequate vitamin A intake while 55.8% and 53.0% had inadequate vitamin B(12) and folate intakes, respectively. More school‐aged boys (66.3%) than girls (46.8%) had inadequate vitamin B(12) intake (χ (2) = 13.393, p < .001), while for iron, folate, vitamin B(6), zinc, and vitamin A, the differences were not significant. Mean RCPM test score differed significantly between school type (p < .001), but did not differ between the different ages, and between children with adequate and inadequate iron, zinc, vitamin B(12,) vitamin B(6), and vitamin A intakes, except for folate intake (p = .050). Weak positive significant associations were observed between RCPM test score and zinc and folate intakes (p = .050). Dietary micronutrient intakes were inadequate in majority of these children, which put them at risk of weakened immune system and poor health, but did not show significant associations with RCPM performance. Further studies using other forms of cognition tests may help confirm our findings, and provide the impetus for the necessary interventions.