Maternal education, Anthropometric Markers of Malnutrition and Cognitive Function: ELSA-Brasil, 2008-2010

INTRODUCTION:  The early and chronic exposure to poor social and nutritional conditions may influence cognitive function during adult age. However, the relative impact of these factors has not yet been established and they can vary during the course of life.

METHODS:  Analysis of data from 13,097 adult participants (35-64 years) of the baseline exams (2008-2010) of the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health. The following cognitive tests were applied: learning, recall and word recognition; semantic and phonemic verbal fluency; trail making test B. The markers of nutritional and social conditions were maternal education, birth-weight, and leg and trunk length. Multiple logistic regressions analysis was used to investigate the independent associations between the social and nutritional markers and poor performance in each cognitive test.

RESULTS:  Lower maternal education was associated with poor cognitive performance in all tests, with a dose-response gradient; low birth-weight was related to poor score in the trail making test B; and smaller trunk length were also associated with poor performances in the semantic and phonemic verbal fluency besides the trail making test B. Leg length was no longer associated with poor performance in any of the tests. Having university education did not modify the effects described.

CONCLUSIONS:  Poor socioeconomic and nutritional conditions during gestation and throughout childhood appear detrimental to semantic memory, learning, concentration, executive control and language among adults, with and without university education.