This study examines the impact of school-based nutrition programmes on child growth and cognitive development in pre-schoolers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Qualitative research methods were employed, including semi-structured interviews with parents, teachers, and pre-school administrators, as well as document analysis of nutrition programme records and academic performance data. Nutrition programmes led to a significant improvement in child growth metrics by an average of 10% in height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) among participants. Cognitive development outcomes showed an increase in verbal fluency scores by approximately 20%. The analysis supports the effectiveness of school-based nutrition programmes in enhancing both physical and cognitive development in pre-school children. Further research should explore scalability and cost-effectiveness, while policy recommendations suggest integrating nutrition education into existing curricula to support long-term benefits.
Musambari et al. (2007) studied this question.