Abstract:

Objective:   Intelligence Quotient is said to be more variable in childhood and is thought to be influenced by the socio-economic status of the families of children. This aim of this study was to determine the relationship between socio-economic class and Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of primary school children with asthma and to compare with those of children without. Material and Methods: One hundred and twenty children with asthma (subjects) aged 5 – 11 years were consecutively recruited at the asthma clinic of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Ituku/Ozalla, Enugu State, Nigeria and their age- , sex and socio-economic class (SEC) - matched normal classmates were enrolled as controls from their schools. Their SEC was obtained using the tool described by Oyedeji while their academic performance was obtained from their schools using their scores over an academic session. Their Intelligence Quotient (IQ) was determined using the Draw-A-Person- test. The relationship between SEC and Intelligence Quotient of children with asthma was determined and was compared with that of the 120 controls. Results: There was no significant difference between the IQ of the Subjects and Control in the different Socio-economic Classes. IQ has no significant correlation (Spearman’s) with SEC in both Subjects (r = 0.115; p = 0.21) and Controls (r = 0.082; p = 0.38). No significant difference exists in the IQ of children with asthma across the different socio-economic classes. Conclusion: The IQ of children with asthma is not influenced by their Socio-Economic status.

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