How do you promote good social development in children? Ensure that they have proper nutrition, said researchers who studied kids from Mauritius, an island off Africa's eastern coast.
University of Pennsylvania researchers Jianghong Liu and Adrian Raine studies 1,795 three-year-old Mauritian children. They looked into aspects of physical health associated with nutrition together with indicators of social development, Medical Xpress reported.
The physical aspects were anemia seen in low hemoglobin levels, angular stomatitis seen through cracked lips and a lack of vitamin B2 and niacin and insufficient protein intake seen by thin or sparse hair and hair discoloration. The social development indicators were active social play, exploratory behavior, extent of verbalization and friendliness.
Study: Good #Nutrition Positively Affects Social Development - @PennNursing @PennMedicine https://t.co/d6ZIl3GXqA pic.twitter.com/yWQZjZc90W
— Penn Nursing (@PennNursing) May 6, 2016
Good Nutrition Will Promote Good Social Behavior
Philly Voice reported that the findings showed that more malnutrition indicators also mean a greater likelihood of impaired social behavior. The researchers used this as basis for the identification of a neurocognitive link between nutrition and social behavior.
"The bigger message will give children good nutrition early on," Liu said via Philly Voice. Liu is an associate professor in The University of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing and Perelman School of Medicine. Liu said that good nutrition will not only improve cognitive function but also stimulate good social behavior.
Good Nutrition Study To Be Replicated
The researchers want to replicate the study in large cities in the United States, the University of Pennsylvania said. Raine said that the ideal for their study would be a randomized control trial.
One of the study's limitations is that it is cross-sectional, where measurements were made at one time. In longitudinal studies, measurements are made over a long period of time.
"You want to manipulate nutrition to see whether you can get improvements in social behavior and cognitive function," said Raine. Raine is the Richard Perry University Professor of Criminology, Psychiatry and Psychology
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