Faktor Isi Rumah, Status Pemakanan dan Kesihatan yang Mempengaruhi Keupayaan Kognitif Am Kanak-kanak Orang Asli
The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between household factors and children’s health and nutritional status with the general cognitive ability of Orang Asli children aged 2.5-8.5 years old. This cross section research had interviewed 126 Orang Asli mothers using survey forms...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English Malay |
| Published: |
2009
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/7189/1/FPSK%28M%29_2009_12a.pdf |
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| Summary: | The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between household factors
and children’s health and nutritional status with the general cognitive ability of Orang
Asli children aged 2.5-8.5 years old. This cross section research had interviewed 126
Orang Asli mothers using survey forms to obtain the information on household
demographics, socio-economic status, food security and children’s health status. The
Radimer/Cornell Hunger and Food Insecurity instrument was used to determine the
level of household food security while a three days 24-hour Diet Recall method was
used to determine the quantity and quality of food intake of Orang Asli children. Orang
Asli children were measured for weight and height and the measurements were
transformed into three growth indices of height-for-age, weight-for-age and weight-forheight.
The cognitive ability of the Orang Asli children was determined using McCarthy
Scales of Children’s Abilities. The findings showed that the socio-economic status of
the Orang Asli households was low, indicated by a high percentage of poverty (68.3%)
and hard core poverty (28.3%) households. One third (21.7-26.7%) of the Orang Asli
parents had no formal education, majority of them (46.7-50.8%) had education until
primary school and only small percentage (22.6-31.6%) had education up to secondary school and tertiary education. About 88.3% of the Orang Asli households experienced
varying levels of household food insecurity. There were 82.4% stunted, 84.9%
underweight and 39.4% wasted children, respectively. The Orang children had low
intake of most food groups such as vegetables, fruits, meat and meat products, as well
as milk and milk products. The low food group intakes could well explain the
inadequate intake of energy, vitamin A, vitamin C, niacin and calcium. The Orang Asli
children also showed low cognitive ability with more than half (57.8%) had weak and
very weak general cognitive scores. The mean scores of verbal and quantitative indices
were below the mean scale indices which indicate that their abilities in speech and basic
operational mathematics were below the average scores of children with the same
chronological age. Whereby, the mean score of performance-perception which was near
to the mean scale index showed that the children of Orang Asli had a good reasoning.
Normal growth children of mothers with higher education and income had better
general cognitive ability compared to children who were stunted (F=3.93;p<0.05) and
underweight (F=7.23;p<0.01) of mothers with low education (F=3.83;p<0.05), no
income (F=-2.05;p<0.05). The Pearson Product-moment Correlation Analysis indicated
that the level of mothers’ education (r=0.220;p<0.05), energy intake (r=0.192;p<0.05),
vitamin A intake (r=0.204;p<0.05) and weight-for-age (r=0.215;p<0.05) were related to
the cognitive ability of the Orang Asli children. The Multiple Linear Regression results
showed that mother’s education (β=0.117;p<0.05) and children’s height-for-age
(β=0.229;p<0.05) were important factors contributing to cognitive ability of the Orang
Asli children. Efforts to address cognitive development as well as educational
achievement of Orang Asli children should take into account mother’s education level
and child’s health and nutritional status. Socioeconomic, health and nutrition programs
targeted towards the women and children are important in order to promote the
wellbeing of the Orang Asli children. |
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