Nutritional status of school-going adolescent girls is associated with their cognitive function but not academic performance: insights from Ten2Twenty-Ghana baseline study.
14 affiliations
- 1Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.
- 2Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Keele University, Keele, UK.
- 3University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
- 4Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale, Ghana.
- 5Africa Centre for Health Research and Development, Tamale, Ghana.
- 6Nursing & Midwifery Training College, Kpembe, Salaga, Ghana.
- 7Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
- 8Department of Nutrition & Food Science, School of Biological Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
- 9Department of Family Health, College of Health and Well-Being, Kintampo, Ghana.
- 10Department of Nutrition, St Dominic Catholic Hospital, Akwatia, Eastern Region, Ghana.
- 11Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- 12International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC, USA.
- 13Africa Centre for Health Research and Development, Tamale, Ghana. [email protected].
- 14Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
The link between nutritional status and cognitive performance is well-documented in early childhood, but limited data exist on adolescents, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examines the associations between nutritional status, overall cognitive function and its subdomains, and academic performance among adolescent girls in Ghana.Methods
Cross-sectional data from the Ten2Twenty-Ghana study were analysed, including 845 girls aged 10-17 from 19 primary schools in the Mion District. Fluid cognition, a composite measure of cognitive function, was assessed using the National Institutes of Health Toolbox Cognition Battery. The cognition battery comprised five subdomains: executive function, attention control, processing speed, working memory, and episodic memory. Academic performance was assessed using examination scores in Mathematics, English, and General Science. Anthropometry was used to calculate the body mass index-for-age z-score (BAZ) and the height-for-age z-score (HAZ) using WHO AnthroPlus. Generalised linear mixed-effects models with a random intercept for school, assessed associations while adjusting for potential confounding variables, including age, anaemia, dietary diversity, menarche status, health complaints, school attendance, household food security, wealth, dependency, and literacy ratios, school feeding status, and interviewer effect.Results
The mean HAZ was -0.9 ± 1.2, BAZ was -0.7 ± 0.9, fluid cognition was 26.7 ± 9.6, and academic performance was 53.8 ± 13.1%. BAZ was positively associated with the fluid cognition composite score (adjusted β = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.39, 1.83) and with processing speed subdomain (adjusted β = 1.31, 95% CI: 0.49, 2.13). HAZ was positively associated with processing speed after full adjustment (adjusted β = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.06, 1.29). No significant associations were found between anthropometric indices and academic performance.Conclusion
Nutritional status was positively associated with the fluid cognition composite score and processing speed subdomain among adolescent girls, while no association was observed with academic performance. These findings underscore the importance of improving adolescent nutrition to support cognitive development in rural settings.
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BibTeX
@article{saeed2026nutritional,
title = {{Nutritional status of school-going adolescent girls is associated with their cognitive function but not academic performance: insights from Ten2Twenty-Ghana baseline study.}},
author = {Nawaf Saeed and Mavis A Ayimbire and Addae Yaw Hammond and Gabriel Ajediwe Alatiah and Joseph Collins Kodom and Inge D Brouwer and Fusta Azupogo},
journal = {Nutrition journal},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12937-026-01370-2},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902358},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Nutritional status of school-going adolescent girls is associated with their cognitive function but not academic performance: insights from Ten2Twenty-Ghana baseline study.
AU - Nawaf Saeed
AU - Mavis A Ayimbire
AU - Addae Yaw Hammond
AU - Gabriel Ajediwe Alatiah
AU - Joseph Collins Kodom
AU - Inge D Brouwer
AU - Fusta Azupogo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Nutrition journal
DO - 10.1186/s12937-026-01370-2
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902358
AB - Background The link between nutritional status and cognitive performance is well-documented in early childhood, but limited data exist on adolescents, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examines the associations between nutritional status, overall cognitive function and its subdomains, and academic performance among adolescent girls in Ghana.Methods Cross-sectional data from the Ten2Twenty-Ghana study were analysed, including 845 girls aged 10-17 from 19 primary schools in the Mion District. Fluid cognition, a composite measure of cognitive function, was assessed using the National Institutes of Health Toolbox Cognition Battery. The cognition battery comprised five subdomains: executive function, attention control, processing speed, working memory, and episodic memory. Academic performance was assessed using examination scores in Mathematics, English, and General Science. Anthropometry was used to calculate the body mass index-for-age z-score (BAZ) and the height-for-age z-score (HAZ) using WHO AnthroPlus. Generalised linear mixed-effects models with a random intercept for school, assessed associations while adjusting for potential confounding variables, including age, anaemia, dietary diversity, menarche status, health complaints, school attendance, household food security, wealth, dependency, and literacy ratios, school feeding status, and interviewer effect.Results The mean HAZ was -0.9 ± 1.2, BAZ was -0.7 ± 0.9, fluid cognition was 26.7 ± 9.6, and academic performance was 53.8 ± 13.1%. BAZ was positively associated with the fluid cognition composite score (adjusted β = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.39, 1.83) and with processing speed subdomain (adjusted β = 1.31, 95% CI: 0.49, 2.13). HAZ was positively associated with processing speed after full adjustment (adjusted β = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.06, 1.29). No significant associations were found between anthropometric indices and academic performance.Conclusion Nutritional status was positively associated with the fluid cognition composite score and processing speed subdomain among adolescent girls, while no association was observed with academic performance. These findings underscore the importance of improving adolescent nutrition to support cognitive development in rural settings.
SN - 1475-2891
ER -