5.3. Behavior and social performance

CHAVEZ and MARTINEZ (1979) showed enhanced behavioral and exploratory activities associated with increased physical activity in the better nourished young preschool children. From the studies of preschoolers in Uganda and Guatemala it can be inferred that children who had adequate energy intakes and spent less time sitting or lying down and more time walking and moving around, had more frequent interactions with their peers, adults and their physical environment. This was, in fact, the subjective appraisal of the investigators and staff who participated in the clinical and community studies in Guatemala. Other investigators have also suggested that low energy intake and expenditure are likely to decrease the interactions between children and their immediate environment (GRAVES, 1976, 1978; RICCIUTI, 1981; BEATON, 1983).

POLLITT (1987) has pointed out the conceptual and methodological problems that do not allow making definitive statements about the influence of dietary energy deficiency on cognitive and socioemotional development. One of the major obstacles is the difficulty - if not impossibility - of isolating the nutritional components from other factors that affect the behavior and development of children. Nevertheless, the evidence that better nutrition allows more activity supports the suggestion of a sequential cause-effect linkage between adequate energy intake ® enhanced physical activity ® more interaction with people and the environment ® better social performance and cognitive development.