Poverty affects children’s brains

We know that children live in poverty They have fewer opportunities than middle and upper class children.

We also learned that they often have problems with growth and a less favorable environment to develop their potential.

But new scientific research has found that the problem is more powerful than we thought, and even affects the brains of children. Here we explain why.

The greater the poverty, the less you will learn

as Study conducted at Columbia Universitychildren who grew up in it poor families They show slower activity in key brain areas related to thinking and learning.

To reach these conclusions, experts analyzed the brain activity of children on the poverty line.

They found that the brain development of children from low-income families varies according to their number Financial support that they received

In other words, the more money families receive, the more likely children are to develop brain activity in areas related to learning.

The importance of brain development in childhood

As we commented at the beginning of this text, it has long been known that there is a connection between them poverty and lower school performance.

Similarly, it is known that there is a relationship between lower income and poorer health.

But as you say Kimberly Noblethe person responsible for the study, so far there has been no evidence that poverty It also affects aspects of the brain.

studying

In the study, researchers measured the brain activity levels of 435 one-year-old children.

In order to do this, they came to an agreement with the mothers of the children, all of whom were from poor areas of the United States.

The mothers, who were primarily of African or Latino descent, received monetary support of $333 (6900 pesos) or 20 dollars (415 pesos) per month they spend however they choose.

Everyone will get this cash amount for 4 years, which is the entire duration of the study.

Currently, one year after the investigation began, evidence has been provided Electroencephalogram Detecting differences in brain activity in children.

Thus they were able to verify that children whose mothers get $333 a month have 20 percent more brain activity than those whose mothers receive only an extra $20 a month.

Social programs will be the solution

Although experts are cautious in their conclusions, they believe the study can further validate the importance of social software Focusing on financial support for families.

The final part of the study stated that “a few hundred extra dollars a month has the potential to do a lot of good to these families.”

In other words, researchers believe that money that goes to families always helps children, who are more likely to get better nutrition and relieve parental stress.

As part of all of this, the social software It would help improve the development of brain childish from poor communities.