THE RELATIONSHIP OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS WITH INTELLECTUAL COEFFICIENT AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN MEXICAN CHILDREN FROM URBAN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Background and objectives: The objective was to determine the magnitude of association of the nutritional status with the IQ and academic performance in children from urban primary schools in Hidalgo, Mexico. Methods: An analytical observational study was carried out on 459 schoolchildren aged 6 to 10 years old from a public and a private school located in Tula, Hidalgo, during the 2013-2014 school cycle. The students were given weight and height measurements with calibrated instruments and standardized personnel, Koppitz test was applied to assess IQ and emotional indicators (EI), the grade point average was recorded as an indicator of academic achievement (AA), and socioeconomic status (SE) was assessed with household assets and father's level of schooling. Body mass index (BMIZ) and height-for-age (HAZ) Z scores were calculated using WHO 2007 references. Differences, correlations and interactions were assessed, and the magnitude of association of predictor variables (BMIZ and HAZ) and response (IQ and AA) with adjusted linear regression models (LRM). Results: In school children of middle SE, obesity was 10 percent higher compared to high and low SE (p