The effect of poverty on the child brain

The outcome of poverty in children is perceived as physical development disorder only due to malnutrition. But the mental and emotional development of children is also affected by poverty. A study conducted by the University of Columbia Neuroscience Team reveals the dimensions of poverty on infant and child brain. The team viewed the brains of 1099 children, adolescents and young adults in different US cities to examine the biological foundations that affect the brain and revealed various data. This research is once again the imperialist wars of capitalism, ecological, economic, political, etc. In addition to the crises, it shows that it leads to many serious problems that remain in the shade.

Let’s look at the results: Research has shown that the brains of families from the lowest income group in the US, that is, families of families who have less than 25,000 dollars per year, have less surface area of ​​up to 6 %than 150,000 dollars of families with more than $ 150,000, that is, the gray substance volume in the front lobe of the brain is less. This difference occurs more during pregnancy. In addition, the research has shown that even a few thousand dollars of inequality at the income level have made great differences in children’s brain structure, especially in areas of language, comprehension and decision -making skills. It was clearly observed that the scores in the tests that measure the cognitive skills of children such as reading, memory creation and comparison were proportional to the income of their parents.

In the examination of another research group, the brain scans of 44 African and American baby girls, each of which belong to different socioeconomic groups, each of them for 1 month, gave similar results. In other words, the brain surface areas of the babies of poor families are less developing than the brain surface areas of the rich children. The team that conducts the research states that some important issues should not be produced from these data and should not produce incorrect results. “Some scientific results should not be a tool or basis for current political tensions”. Because these similar results can be made into material for racist discourses in today’s world where authoritarian and fascist tendencies are increased. The issue that is desired to be highlighted here is not races, but because of the results of income and class differences, the black race and the white race are separated according to the income situation of their families. As a result, the babies of rich families, regardless of the race, have wider brain surfaces than their infants of poor families, regardless of the race.

In a similar content study in Mexico, parallel results were obtained for the above two studies. According to the study, it was observed that various improvements to be made in the living conditions of the children caused positive changes in cognitive development and skills in a short period of 18 months and enabled the difference to be closed. In addition to their basic needs such as shelter, nutrition and safety, it was seen that the preparation of environments to improve their imagination and the total development process in total made a serious difference. When the necessary opportunities were granted to families whose income level is average, children who had previously had various problems showed positive developments in a short time.

In these studies, it is pointed out that poverty causes not only hunger but also physical and mental inadequacies. In addition, it is revealed that the problems caused by poverty are not only caused by malnutrition. Poor families live in regions with a more dirty air and a more dirty environment in terms of heavy metals. This affects body functions, mood, memory. Mothers have a livelihood problem, future anxiety, excessive work, environmental conditions and malnutrition, due to reasons such as malnutrition, the baby is subjected to the effects of the mother’s physical and mental condition while the baby is in the womb. The mother works, the housework, sick, elderly, because the child looks less time for the baby after birth. The quality of the toys taken to the child is low or toys cannot be taken. Due to this and similar reasons, the development problems of poor families are more common, communication skills, self -confidence and imagination are weaker. The difficulties in self -expression and communication lead to many negativities in the coming years. Poor families can not find the opportunity to travel, see new places, and participate in social and cultural activities, and their chances of getting to know the world they live in decreases. Children of rich families develop language learning, playing instruments, sports and paintings, while the children of poor families have to work at an early age and quickly worn out.

Situation in Türkiye

The results show that the stress caused by poor growth damages the child’s brain development while in the womb. The research of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) in recent years supports these results in Türkiye. Malnutrition and living in non -human conditions cause physical and mental retardation in children. Starting from the womb, especially children who are unhealthy until the age of 4 start one step behind life. Children are exposed to heavy metals like bullets. Obesity and dwarf are increasing as a result of incomplete proteins and vitamins, ie unqualified nutrition. According to 2022 Children’s Research of the Turkish Statistical Institute; The proportion of children consuming bread and pasta every day, 62.4 %in the country is a large rate of 62.4 %. The proportion of children consuming the fruit every day is 50.5 %, the rate of children consuming vegetables every day is 33 %, and the rate of protein -fed children, such as meat, chicken and fish, is only 12.7 %. All these factors reduce the success rates of poor children and create a serious perception problem. In addition to other factors, nutritional failure can cause behavioral disorders.

Poverty, which is the direct product of the capitalist system of exploitation, leaves the children of the working class, starting with serious problems, starting from the main stomach, and leads them to be born unequal in every aspect. Workers who work and try to provide a good education and good future for their child will be wasted unless they turn to eliminate the real source of the problem. The only way to ensure that their efforts are not wasted, the physical, mental development of our children, and the assurance of their future is to be engaged in organized struggle to eliminate capitalism.