Health Care : Current Reviews

TESTING THE IMPACT OF A FORTIFIED FOOD ON COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN EGYPT

Global Health Economics Summit

July 25-26, 2016 Berlin, Germany

Rania Megally

University of Mannheim, Germany

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Health Care: Current Reviews

Abstract:

Childhood malnutrition is considered one of the most serious health problems that is facing developing countries as it indicates mortality, morbidity, childhood development as well as lower labor productivity. Many studies have tackled the nutrition status of the children in Egypt that proved a high prevalence rate of malnutrition problems among the children living in some of the Nile Delta provinces and Upper Egypt as it has been proved that the most widely prevailed malnutrition problem is caused by the iron deficiency anemia. Such anemic children expected to have delayed psychomotor development. The aim of this research is to evaluate the impact of a nutrition intervention on the cognitive development of the preschool children. The sample of this study will be covering 3500 children in Egypt represented in 85 nurseries. The study design will be in form of randomized control trial. The baseline and the follow-up of this study will be the measurement of the anemia level by measuring the childâ??s hemoglobin concentration, and the anthropometric variables for stunting, wasting, and underweight. The cognitive level will be measured using Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence. Afterwards, the treatment group will be given the treatment that is represented in iron fortified juice everyday for each child attending the nursery. This lasted for one month in the pilot study and will be for three months in the actual study. The results in the pilot study showed an improvement in the health status. However, the cognitive level has not measured yet.

Biography :

Rania Megally has been graduated from German University in Cairo as Technology-based-Manangement graduate, with the specialties including Economics, Accounting, and Pharmacy and Biotechnology and Master of Sciences in Technology-based-Management specialized in Economics from the German University in Cairo. Later on she obtained her econometrics courses as a visiting PhD student from University of Mannheim after working at German University in Cairo as an Economics Assistant where she has continued her research in University of Mannheim. Presently she has been working as a visiting PhD student at the University of Mannheim.

Email: rania.megally@gmail.com