Effect of environmental factors on intelligence quotient of children

Introduction: A child's intelligence quotient (IQ) is determined by both genetic and environmental factors that start from the prenatal period itself. There is a lack of data on the factors which influence IQ in Indian children; therefore, we conducted a multicenter questionnaire-based study to...

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Main Authors: Archita Makharia, Abhishek Nagarajan, Aakanksha Mishra, Sandeep Peddisetty, Deepak Chahal, Yashpal Singh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2016-01-01
Series:Industrial Psychiatry Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.industrialpsychiatry.org/article.asp?issn=0972-6748;year=2016;volume=25;issue=2;spage=189;epage=194;aulast=Makharia
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spelling doaj-1458b7f2140349d9ac9d59255566d6d32020-11-24T23:52:19ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsIndustrial Psychiatry Journal0972-67480976-27952016-01-0125218919410.4103/ipj.ipj_52_16Effect of environmental factors on intelligence quotient of childrenArchita MakhariaAbhishek NagarajanAakanksha MishraSandeep PeddisettyDeepak ChahalYashpal SinghIntroduction: A child's intelligence quotient (IQ) is determined by both genetic and environmental factors that start from the prenatal period itself. There is a lack of data on the factors which influence IQ in Indian children; therefore, we conducted a multicenter questionnaire-based study to determine the environmental factors which influence IQ in Indian children. Participants and Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, we recruited 1065 schoolchildren between the age of 12 and 16 years from 2 government and 13 private schools in 5 towns, 6 cities, and 2 villages across India. All the children were administered a questionnaire consisting of various environmental factors such as parents' education, occupation, income, and the physical activity of the students. IQ scores were assessed using Ravens Standard Progressive Matrices. An approximate IQ score was calculated using the score on the Ravens test. IQ scores were divided into three groups: below normal IQ (0–79), normal IQ (80–119), and high IQ (above 120). The data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: In this study, it was observed that the environmental factors such as place of residence, physical activity, family income, parental education, and occupation of the father had an impact on the IQ of the children. Children living in cities (P = 0.001), children having physical activity more than 5 h/weeks (P = 0.001), children with parents having a postgraduate or graduate level of education (P = 0.001), children whose father having a professional job (P = 0.001), and those with a higher family income (P = 0.001) were more likely to have high IQ. Conclusions: In the present study, we found that various environmental factors such as place of residence, physical exercise, family income, parents' occupation and education influence the IQ of a child to a great extent. Hence, a child must be provided with an optimal environment to be able to develop to his/her full genetic potential.http://www.industrialpsychiatry.org/article.asp?issn=0972-6748;year=2016;volume=25;issue=2;spage=189;epage=194;aulast=MakhariaChildrenintelligencephysical activitysocioeconomic status
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Archita Makharia
Abhishek Nagarajan
Aakanksha Mishra
Sandeep Peddisetty
Deepak Chahal
Yashpal Singh
spellingShingle Archita Makharia
Abhishek Nagarajan
Aakanksha Mishra
Sandeep Peddisetty
Deepak Chahal
Yashpal Singh
Effect of environmental factors on intelligence quotient of children
Industrial Psychiatry Journal
Children
intelligence
physical activity
socioeconomic status
author_facet Archita Makharia
Abhishek Nagarajan
Aakanksha Mishra
Sandeep Peddisetty
Deepak Chahal
Yashpal Singh
author_sort Archita Makharia
title Effect of environmental factors on intelligence quotient of children
title_short Effect of environmental factors on intelligence quotient of children
title_full Effect of environmental factors on intelligence quotient of children
title_fullStr Effect of environmental factors on intelligence quotient of children
title_full_unstemmed Effect of environmental factors on intelligence quotient of children
title_sort effect of environmental factors on intelligence quotient of children
publisher Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
series Industrial Psychiatry Journal
issn 0972-6748
0976-2795
publishDate 2016-01-01
description Introduction: A child's intelligence quotient (IQ) is determined by both genetic and environmental factors that start from the prenatal period itself. There is a lack of data on the factors which influence IQ in Indian children; therefore, we conducted a multicenter questionnaire-based study to determine the environmental factors which influence IQ in Indian children. Participants and Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, we recruited 1065 schoolchildren between the age of 12 and 16 years from 2 government and 13 private schools in 5 towns, 6 cities, and 2 villages across India. All the children were administered a questionnaire consisting of various environmental factors such as parents' education, occupation, income, and the physical activity of the students. IQ scores were assessed using Ravens Standard Progressive Matrices. An approximate IQ score was calculated using the score on the Ravens test. IQ scores were divided into three groups: below normal IQ (0–79), normal IQ (80–119), and high IQ (above 120). The data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: In this study, it was observed that the environmental factors such as place of residence, physical activity, family income, parental education, and occupation of the father had an impact on the IQ of the children. Children living in cities (P = 0.001), children having physical activity more than 5 h/weeks (P = 0.001), children with parents having a postgraduate or graduate level of education (P = 0.001), children whose father having a professional job (P = 0.001), and those with a higher family income (P = 0.001) were more likely to have high IQ. Conclusions: In the present study, we found that various environmental factors such as place of residence, physical exercise, family income, parents' occupation and education influence the IQ of a child to a great extent. Hence, a child must be provided with an optimal environment to be able to develop to his/her full genetic potential.
topic Children
intelligence
physical activity
socioeconomic status
url http://www.industrialpsychiatry.org/article.asp?issn=0972-6748;year=2016;volume=25;issue=2;spage=189;epage=194;aulast=Makharia
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