title: The negative impact of living environment on intelligence quotient of primary school children in Baghdad City, Iraq: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Environmental factors play a very important role in the child development process, especially in a situation like that of Iraq. Thirteen years of economic sanctions followed by the 2003 war and 8 years of unstable security have affected the daily life of Iraqi families and children. The objective of this study was to assess the associations between living environment domains and child intelligence quotient (IQ) score.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 529 children aged 7-8 years from five primary schools in Baghdad during September-October, 2011. The five schools represent people living a range of conditions, and include of both high and low socio-economic groups. Living environment was assessed by 13 questionnaire items, consists of three domains: physical safety , mental stress and public services. While IQ was assessed by Raven Colored progressive matrices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the participants, 22% were of low intelligence versus 77% of high intelligence and 19% lived in a poor environment. There were significant associations between the mental stress and service living environment domains and child IQ (p = 0.009 and p = 0.001, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Iraq, child IQ was found to be associated with the mental stress and service domains of the living environment. This study findings will help authorities in their efforts to improve living environment.
authors: Department of Community Health, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. dr.hasanainhabasha@gmail.com
authors: Hasanain Faisal
authors: HF
authors: Ghazi
authors: Zaleha Md
authors: ZM
authors: Isa
authors: Syed
authors: S
authors: Aljunid
authors: Shamsul Azhar
authors: SA
authors: Shah
authors: Azmi Mohd
authors: AM
authors: Tamil
authors: Mohammed A
authors: MA
authors: Abdalqader
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007493:Iraq; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors