BACKGROUND: Early @entity3147 is linked to poor cognition, but long-term effects have not been extensively examined and psychosocial confounds have not always been controlled. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that @entity3147 at age 3 years will be associated with poorer cognitive ability at age 11 years independent of psychosocial confounds. DESIGN: A prospective, longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1559 @entity1 originally assessed at age 3 years for @entity3147 (low hemoglobin level, @entity3136 , @entity16995 , and sparse, thin hair) and followed up to age 11 years. SETTING AND @entity1 : A community sample of 1559 @entity1 (51.4% @entity1 and 48.6% @entity1 ) born between September 1, 1969, and August 31, 1970, in 2 towns in the island of Mauritius, with 68.7% Indians and 25.7% Creoles (African origin). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Verbal and spatial ability measured at ages 3 and 11 years and reading, scholastic ability, and neuropsychologic performance measured at age 11 years. RESULTS: Malnourished @entity1 had poorer cognition at both ages. Deficits were stable across time, applied to all sex and ethnic groups, and remained after controlling for multiple measures of psychosocial adversity. @entity1 with 3 indicators of @entity3147 had a 15.3-point deficit in IQ at age 11 years. CONCLUSIONS: @entity3147 at age 3 years is associated with poor cognition at age 11 years independent of psychosocial adversity. Promoting early childhood nutrition could enhance long-term cognitive development and school performance, especially in @entity1 with multiple nutritional deficits.

XXXX at age 3 years and lower cognitive ability at age 11 years: independence from psychosocial adversity.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['children', 'Children', 'girls', 'PARTICIPANTS', 'boys'] @entity16995 :: ('MESH:D007732', 'Disease') :: ['kwashiorkor'] @entity3136 :: ('MESH:D013280', 'Disease') :: ['angular stomatitis'] @entity3147 :: ('MESH:D044342', 'Disease') :: ['malnutrition', 'Malnutrition']
@entity3147 :: (MESH:D044342,Disease) :: ['Malnutrition']
