Production of Fortified Biscuit With Chickpea and Crushed Peanut for Improving Cognitive Performance

Summary

It is well known that globally, school-based fortification and school feeding approaches have been applied to remedy nutritional deficiencies that impact health in the primary school age group.

Aim of the study: to produce a fortified biscuit with chickpea and crushed peanut. To evaluate the effectiveness of the fortified biscuits intake for 4 months in terms of its acceptability and impact on cognitive performance for a sample of children aged 8-12 years attending rural primary schools in an Egyptian village. The fortified biscuits' effect on auditory attention, visual and working memory, and learning ability was evaluated.

Methodology: This study was an interventional study conducted in two stages: stage one was the production of nutritious biscuits that is based on chickpea flour and peanut in addition to whole wheat (extract 72 %), wheat germ, cinnamon, milk, and egg. All these constituents help in enhancing immunity, fighting viruses, maintaining regular and healthy bowel movement, regulating blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and more importantly improving the cognitive abilities of school-aged children. During stage two, eighty Children were randomly allocated in either chickpea and peanuts biscuits dependent group (40 children) or non-dependent group (40 children) to evaluate the impact of the fortified biscuits. All enrolled children and their mothers received 5 cognitive stimulation sessions over four months. The cognitive performance of primary school-aged children was assessed before and after the interventions by a battery of four verbal \& non-verbal intelligence psychological tests. These tests covered short-term and working memory, visual memory, and the ability for categorization, learning for speed of information processing, and auditory attention ability with rising levels of difficulty. These tests were: Digit Span, the figural memory tests, Coding and Auditory vigilance tests A and B respectively. Five items were used to evaluate the physical characteristics of the biscuits: color, odor, taste, consistency, and general acceptance.

Conditions

• Cognitive Performance

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Chickpeas and crushed peanuts fortified biscuit

This group received one daily pack of three fortified biscuits as snakes between breakfast and lunch on daily basis for four months. The chickpeas and crushed peanuts fortified biscuit consisted of wheat flour (extract 72%), Chickpea flour, crushed peanuts, wheat germ, Skimmed milk, corn oil, egg, sugar, Cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and vanilla.

OTHER

Cognitive stimulation for the mothers

I. Sessions for mothers * Informing mothers about the most common causes of poor school achievement * Clarification of mother's and family roles in improving student's cognitive abilities * Defining cognitive functions needed for learning and school achievement o Attention, perceptive reasoning, memory, problem solving, proper use of language * Identifying sensory functions necessary for the growth of cognitive functions * Explaining factors that assist in academic excellence

OTHER

Cognitive stimulation for students

* Activities to improve focus and visual attention * Activities to improve visual memory * Activities to improve vigilance and auditory attention * Explaining types of memory Causes of weak memory Factors helping in improving memory Nutritional elements improving memory * Training on skills of problem-solving

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Research Centre, Egypt

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Ammal M Metwally, PhD (MD) · National Research Centre of Egypt

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

8 Years

Max Age

12 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2018-11-26

Primary Completion

2021-03-05

Completion

2021-07-05

Countries

• Egypt

Study Locations