Intra-uterine exposure to lower maternal haemoglobin concentration is associated with impaired cognitive function in stunted adolescents: results from a 17-year longitudinal cohort study in Indonesia

The long-term impact of maternal anaemia on cognitive performance remains unknown. Indonesian longitudinal cohort data of 363 paired pregnant mothers and their 10–14-year-old offspring were used to investigate the association between maternal haemoglobin (Hb) concentration and their offspring’s cognitive function (assessed by Raven’s Progressive Matrices test) during adolescence. The weighted anaemia prevalence was 49.3% in pregnant mothers and 22.2% in adolescents. Adolescents who were stunted, anaemic, or living in a rural area had significantly lower cognitive scores than their counterparts. Maternal Hb was not associated with adolescent cognitive function (β: 0.14; 95%CI: −0.052–0.340). However, the effect of maternal Hb concentration on offspring’s cognitive function was modified by stunting status (β, stunted: 0.44; 95%CI: 0.05–0.82; non-stunted: 0.01; 95%CI: −0.02–0.24). This study shows adverse cognitive outcomes at adolescent age are likely multi-causal and can be partially explained by intra-uterine exposure to low maternal Hb concentrations.