Mohammed A. Abdalqader

Carbonated drinks, chips intake and their relation to Intelligence Quotient (IQ) among primary school children in Baghdad city, Iraq.

Background The revolution in children’s lifestyle and dietary habits which has occurred over the last thirty years can be largely attributed to changes in the family environment and in the social environment in general. Fast food is a diet high in processed foods and soft drinks. Children consuming more junk food are likely to have a lower intake of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between carbonated drinks, chips intake and intelligence quotient of primary school children.

The negative impact of living environment on intelligence quotient of primary school children in Baghdad City, Iraq: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundEnvironmental factors play a very important role in the child development process, especially in a situation like that of Iraq. Thirteen years of economic sanctions followed by the 2003 war and 8 years of unstable security have affected the daily life of Iraqi families and children. The objective of this study was to assess the associations between living environment domains and child intelligence quotient (IQ) score.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 529 children aged 7–8 years from five primary schools in Baghdad during September–October, 2011. The five schools represent people living a range of conditions, and include of both high and low socio-economic groups. Living environment was assessed by 13 questionnaire items, consists of three domains: physical safety , mental stress and public services. While IQ was assessed by Raven Colored progressive matrices.ResultsAmong the participants, 22% were of low intelligence versus 77% of high intelligence and 19% lived in a poor environment. There were significant associations between the mental stress and service living environment domains and child IQ (p = 0.009 and p = 0.001, respectively).ConclusionIn Iraq, child IQ was found to be associated with the mental stress and service domains of the living environment. This study findings will help authorities in their efforts to improve living environment.