African Forest Products Journal (Forestry) | 05 May 2001
Nutrition Education Interventions and Cognitive Development in Urban Pre-Primary Students in Dakar, Senegal: A Longitudinal Study,
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Abstract
This study examines the impact of school-based nutrition education interventions on cognitive development in urban pre-primary students in Dakar, Senegal. A longitudinal study design was employed with repeated assessments at three time points. Participants were selected from urban pre-primary schools in Dakar, ensuring representation across socio-economic backgrounds. Nutrition education significantly improved students' cognitive scores by an average of 15% (95% CI: [8%, 23%]) over the study period. The findings suggest that targeted nutrition education can enhance cognitive development among urban pre-primary students in Dakar, Senegal. Schools and policymakers should prioritise integrating comprehensive nutrition education programmes into their curricula to support children's cognitive growth. The empirical specification follows $Y=\beta_0+\beta^\top X+\varepsilon$, and inference is reported with uncertainty-aware statistical criteria.