The Magnitude of Hidden Hunger and Cognitive Deficits among Children Living in Orphanages in Kumasi, Ghana
Table 4
Comparing mean cognition test scores.
Variable
Cognition test score
value
Mean ± SD
Age (years)
6–8
19.11 ± 6.46
<0.001
9–13
26.62 ± 5.91
Gender
Boy
23.70 ± 7.04
0.190
Girl
25.30 ± 6.79
Orphanage#
O1
24.71 ± 5.98
0.027
O2
26.40 ± 7.91a
O3
22.60 ± 6.94a
BMI for age
Thin
24.00 ± 4.36
0.903
Not thin
24.50 ± 7.00
Height for age
Stunted
22.44 ± 4.83
0.209
Not stunted
24.77 ± 7.16
Iodine status
Mild deficiency
22.95 ± 8.57
0.271
Adequate
24.78 ± 6.59
Iron
Inadequate
19.75 ± 7.47
0.007
Adequate
25.05 ± 6.69
Zinc
Inadequate
24.71 ± 6.08
0.735
Adequate
24.30 ± 7.62
Vitamin C
Inadequate
25.07 ± 6.06
0.602
Adequate
24.31 ± 7.20
Folate
Inadequate
24.76 ± 6.17
0.810
Adequate
24.41 ± 7.17
Vitamin B12
Inadequate
24.26 ± 6.14
0.706
Adequate
24.72 ± 7.73
Vitamin A
Inadequate
25.25 ± 6.61
<0.001
Adequate
17.00 ± 5.72
Micronutrient intake deficiency
No deficiency
17.00 ± 5.72
<0.001
Deficiency
25.25 ± 6.61
Deficiency type
Single deficiency
27.38 ± 6.36
0.013
Multiple deficiency
24.19 ± 6.51
Mean differences were compared with the independent-sample t-test except for # where one-way ANOVA was used. values in bold are significant at . Post hoc analysis revealed a significant mean difference in cognition scores between the two orphanages with the same letter ‘a’ (). O1: orphanage 1, O2: orphanage 2, O3: orphanage 3.