Promoting school readiness through a preschool feeding program: A nutritional nudge to improve at-risk preschooler’s cognitive development in Armenia

Many school feeding programs target child hunger, nutritional deficiencies, attendance, and education outcomes but often do not examine their effects on cognitive development. In this cluster-randomized controlled trial, we tested the effects of adding a morning snack to a school lunch program on th...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Knauer, Heather A., Balasanyan, Sona, Bakhshinyan, Elmira, Alderman, Harold
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143396
_version_ 1855532609308721152
author Knauer, Heather A.
Balasanyan, Sona
Bakhshinyan, Elmira
Alderman, Harold
author_browse Alderman, Harold
Bakhshinyan, Elmira
Balasanyan, Sona
Knauer, Heather A.
author_facet Knauer, Heather A.
Balasanyan, Sona
Bakhshinyan, Elmira
Alderman, Harold
author_sort Knauer, Heather A.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Many school feeding programs target child hunger, nutritional deficiencies, attendance, and education outcomes but often do not examine their effects on cognitive development. In this cluster-randomized controlled trial, we tested the effects of adding a morning snack to a school lunch program on the fluid intelligence of 951 children ages 4 to 6 years. While there were no significant effects on development overall, the morning snack improved short-term memory (STM) and total score on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV) among children from the lowest quartile of household expenditures (STM: 0.35SD, p = 0.020; WPPSI-IV: 0.65SD, p = 0.087), and those whose mothers completed secondary school or less (STM: 0.35SD, p = 0.002; total WPPSI-IV: 0.81SD, p = 0.011). For at risk preschoolers, school snack programs may help meet their developmental needs.
format Artículo preliminar
id CGSpace143396
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2021
publishDateRange 2021
publishDateSort 2021
publisher International Food Policy Research Institute
publisherStr International Food Policy Research Institute
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1433962025-12-09T21:37:13Z Promoting school readiness through a preschool feeding program: A nutritional nudge to improve at-risk preschooler’s cognitive development in Armenia Knauer, Heather A. Balasanyan, Sona Bakhshinyan, Elmira Alderman, Harold school feeding preschool children nutrition children Many school feeding programs target child hunger, nutritional deficiencies, attendance, and education outcomes but often do not examine their effects on cognitive development. In this cluster-randomized controlled trial, we tested the effects of adding a morning snack to a school lunch program on the fluid intelligence of 951 children ages 4 to 6 years. While there were no significant effects on development overall, the morning snack improved short-term memory (STM) and total score on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV) among children from the lowest quartile of household expenditures (STM: 0.35SD, p = 0.020; WPPSI-IV: 0.65SD, p = 0.087), and those whose mothers completed secondary school or less (STM: 0.35SD, p = 0.002; total WPPSI-IV: 0.81SD, p = 0.011). For at risk preschoolers, school snack programs may help meet their developmental needs. 2021-10-05 2024-05-22T12:13:50Z 2024-05-22T12:13:50Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143396 en https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2019.07.005 https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.58.3.1019-10515R1 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Knauer, Heather A.; Balasanyan, Sona; Bakhshinyan, Elmira; and Alderman, Harold. 2021. Promoting school readiness through a preschool feeding program: A nutritional nudge to improve at-risk preschooler’s cognitive development in Armenia. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2046. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134624.
spellingShingle school feeding
preschool children
nutrition
children
Knauer, Heather A.
Balasanyan, Sona
Bakhshinyan, Elmira
Alderman, Harold
Promoting school readiness through a preschool feeding program: A nutritional nudge to improve at-risk preschooler’s cognitive development in Armenia
title Promoting school readiness through a preschool feeding program: A nutritional nudge to improve at-risk preschooler’s cognitive development in Armenia
title_full Promoting school readiness through a preschool feeding program: A nutritional nudge to improve at-risk preschooler’s cognitive development in Armenia
title_fullStr Promoting school readiness through a preschool feeding program: A nutritional nudge to improve at-risk preschooler’s cognitive development in Armenia
title_full_unstemmed Promoting school readiness through a preschool feeding program: A nutritional nudge to improve at-risk preschooler’s cognitive development in Armenia
title_short Promoting school readiness through a preschool feeding program: A nutritional nudge to improve at-risk preschooler’s cognitive development in Armenia
title_sort promoting school readiness through a preschool feeding program a nutritional nudge to improve at risk preschooler s cognitive development in armenia
topic school feeding
preschool children
nutrition
children
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143396
work_keys_str_mv AT knauerheathera promotingschoolreadinessthroughapreschoolfeedingprogramanutritionalnudgetoimproveatriskpreschoolerscognitivedevelopmentinarmenia
AT balasanyansona promotingschoolreadinessthroughapreschoolfeedingprogramanutritionalnudgetoimproveatriskpreschoolerscognitivedevelopmentinarmenia
AT bakhshinyanelmira promotingschoolreadinessthroughapreschoolfeedingprogramanutritionalnudgetoimproveatriskpreschoolerscognitivedevelopmentinarmenia
AT aldermanharold promotingschoolreadinessthroughapreschoolfeedingprogramanutritionalnudgetoimproveatriskpreschoolerscognitivedevelopmentinarmenia