Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26607403›Full record

SynthesisMaternal & child nutrition2017

A meta-analysis of nutrition interventions on mental development of children under-two in low- and middle-income countries.

Leila Margaret Larson, Aisha K Yousafzai

Open access · greenAbstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Maternal & child nutrition, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
45citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
6.8field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

45 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 89 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Leila Margaret LarsonEmory University,  Nutrition and Health Sciences Program, Laney Graduate School,  Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Aisha K YousafzaiAga Khan University,  Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Division of Women and Child Health,  Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Aga Khan University · PKEmory University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Interventions to improve nutritional status of young children in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) may have the added benefit of improving their mental and motor development. This meta-analysis updates and goes beyond previous ones by answering two important questions: (1) do prenatal and postnatal nutritional inputs improve mental development, and (2) are effects on mental development associated with two theoretically interesting mediators namely physical growth and motor development? The meta-analysis of articles on Medline, PsycINFO, Global Health and Embase was limited to randomized trials in LMICs, with mental development of children from birth to age two years as an outcome. The initial yield of 2689 studies was reduced to 33; 12 received a global quality rating of strong. Of the 10 prenatal and 23 postnatal nutrition interventions, the majority used zinc, iron/folic acid, vitamin A or multiple micronutrients, with a few evaluating macronutrients. The weighted mean effect size, Cohen's d (95% CI) for prenatal and postnatal nutrition interventions on mental development was 0.042 (-0.0084, 0.092) and 0.076 (0.019, 0.13), respectively. Postnatal supplements consisting of macronutrients yielded an effect size d (95% CI) of 0.14 (0.0067, 0.27), multiple micronutrients 0.082 (-0.012, 0.18) and single micronutrients 0.058 (-0.0015, 0.12). Motor development, but not growth status, effect sizes were significantly associated with mental development in postnatal interventions. In summary, nutrition interventions had small effects on mental development. Future studies might have greater effect if they addressed macronutrient deficiencies combined with child stimulation and hygiene and sanitation interventions.

Indexed as

Child DevelopmentCognitionDiet, HealthyMaternal Nutritional Physiological PhenomenaNutritional StatusChild, PreschoolDatabases, FactualDeveloping CountriesDietary SupplementsFemaleHumansMicronutrientsObservational Studies as TopicPostnatal CarePregnancyPrenatal CareMicronutrientschild developmentcognitive developmentinfant and child nutritionlow income countriesmacronutrientmicronutrient

Identifiers

PMID26607403
PMCPMC6866072
OpenAlexW2173734217

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.