(P03-003-24) Hair Haematinic Minerals and Their Associations With Anaemia and Cognitive Performance Among Adolescent School Girls at the Mfantseman Municipal of Ghana

Objectives: To explore hair haematinic minerals: [iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn)] and their association with anaemia and cognitive performance among adolescent school girls in the Mfantseman municipal of Ghana.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 181 girls. Capillary blood was used to determine Haemoglobin (Hb) concentration while minerals were analyzed from hair using an X-ray fluorescence analyzer. Cognitive performance was assessed using Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices. Hb levels were classified based on the World Health Organization Classification. A multivariable regression model was employed to test for best predictor of anaemia among the minerals and a Pearson’s correlation test for association between haematinic minerals, Hb and cognitive performance. All data were analyzed using Software Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.

Results: The prevalence of anaemia was 18.2%. Majority of the girls scored above the 50th percentile of the cognitive test (81.8%), which signified a good cognitive performance. Mean levels of Fe, Cu and Zn were 1539.38 ± 807.14 mg/kg, 114.91 ± 48.51 mg/kg and 166.81 ± 88.76 mg/kg respectively. There was no significant correlation between haemoglobin, cognitive performance and haematinic minerals. Based on regression analysis, none of the haematinic minerals emerged as a significant predictor of anaemia.

Conclusions: The relationship between haematinic minerals, anaemia and cognitive performance appeared to be multifactorial; thus, studies exploring additional variables may explain it better.

Funding Sources: Big Ideas Grand Prize, 2022