1. Influence of Poverty & Nutrition on Cognitive & Social Development

2. Some stats
In 2017, US Census listed 12.3% of US population living below the poverty line (Macomb County is 10.8% and Sterling Heights is 12.6%)
Federal poverty threshold for an individual is $12,060 and for a family of 4 is $24,600
Globally, the World Bank estimates that 10% of the population survives on < $1.90/day and that 80% of humanity lives on < $10/day
Children born in these conditions have ~50% chance of staying in poverty, esp. among ethnic minorities (Krugman, 2008)

3. Poverty Poverty is a major risk factor in cognitive development
What do you think is the influence of poverty on cognitive and social development of a child?
Specifically – poor nutrition, poverty-based health problems, home environment, parenting practices, neighborhoods with higher crime and unemployment are factors that can impact development
The degree to which these various things influence development is often tricky to figure out

4. Link between diet and cognitive function
Under/Malnutrition can affect kids prenatally – likely born with lower birth weight
Limits: learning, physical activity, interest in social environment, and emotional expression
1/3 of kids entering Kindergarten from low-income communities are behind their peers, and by 4th grade 50% are not at reading level (Nat. Center for Children in Pverty, 2002)
More likely to repeat a year in school, less likely to be identified as gifted, less likely to do extracurriculars, more likely to have learning disabilities and dev. delays (Wertheimer, 2003)
All these factors have cumulative effects, but people are resilient
1/3 of high-risk kids had adjusted well to adulthood in (Werner & Smith’s longitudinal study 1992)

5. Politt et al (1995) All in Cambridge packet pg. 273
Studied 4 very poor Guatemalan villages
2 villages got Atole – a protein-rich diet supplement, 2 got Fresco a diet supplement without protein
8 years later Atole showed 69% vs. 24% reduction of infant mortality
Recovery rates from infections improved
Higher scores on literacy, knowledge recall, and numeracy
Faster reactions in information-processing tasks

6. Eval. of Politt et all (1995) Ecologically valid
Diet supplements were given in the participants’ natural settings
Both groups given a diet supplement to control for other nutrients
Findings can be generalized – school meals for impoverished kids
Limits – poor diet is not the only cause educational deficiencies
Cognitive skills were still lower than Guatemalan kids from middle or upper income areas of Guatemala