Malnutrition and Environmental Enrichment by Early Adoption

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Severely malnourished children were compared with moderately malnourished and well-nourished children after all underwent a radical and permanent change in their environments by being adopted into primarily middle-class American homes. The results are in striking contrast to those obtained from similar groups of children returned to the environments from which they came. Even the severely malnourished adopted Korean children surpassed Korean norms of height and weight. The marked initial size differences between the malnourished and the well-nourished infants almost entirely disappeared, leaving only a small difference in height. None of the groups reached mean values for American children of the same age. This may reflect genetic size differences between Korean and American children or the effects of chronic undernutrition extending for several generations in developing countries. The mean IQ of the severely malnourished children was 102 and slightly skewed to the right. It was about 40 points higher than that reported in similar populations returned to their early home environments. Achievement in school for the severely malnourished group was equal to that expected of normal USA children. There are statistically significant differences between the previously malnourished and well-nourished children in IQ and achievement scores. The initially well-nourished children attained a mean IQ and achievement score higher than that of middle-class American children. These attainments (and those of the other groups) may reflect the select character of adoptive parents and of the environment they provide to their adopted children.