Protein-energy malnutrition and intellectual abilities : a study of teen-age Ugandan children

This study is concerned with the relation between protein-energy malnutrition and the intellectual abilities of children in Uganda. The findings are based on the investigation of a group of 60 Ugandan boys and girls who became severely malnourished during the first 27 months of their life, resulting in their admission to the hospital in Kampala. At the time of the study, in 1970-1971, the children were between 11 and 17 years old. The relation between malnutrition and intellectual abilities is explored in two ways: by comparison with a matched group of children who were not severely malnourished during the first years of their life; and by relating the present intellectual abilities of each child to its condition on admission to the hospital. The findings are discussed against the evidence from other psychological studies