IJERPH, Vol. 17, Pages 5451: A Meta-Analysis of Stressors from the Total Environment Associated with Children ’s General Cognitive Ability

IJERPH, Vol. 17, Pages 5451: A Meta-Analysis of Stressors from the Total Environment Associated with Children’s General Cognitive Ability International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph17155451 Authors: Frances M. Nilsen Jazmin D.C. Ruiz Nicolle S. Tulve General cognitive ability, often referred to as ‘general intelligence’, comprises a variety of correlated abilities. Childhood general cognitive ability is a well-studied area of research and can be used to predict social outcomes and perceived success. Early life stage (e.g., prenatal, postnatal, toddler) exposures to stressors (i.e., chemical and non-chemical stressors from the total (built, natural, social) environment) can impact the development of childhood cognitive ability. Building from our systematic scoping review (Ruiz et al., 2016), we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate more than 100 stressors related to cognitive development. Our meta-analysis identified 23 stressors with a significant increase in their likelihood to influence childhood cognitive ability by 10% or more, and 80 stressors were observed to have a statistically significant effect on cognitive ability. Stressors most impactful to cognition during the prenatal period were related to maternal health and the mother’s ability to access information relevant to a healthy pregnancy (e.g., diet, lifestyle). Stressors most impactful to cognition during the early ch...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research