Beschreibung:
<jats:sec><jats:label /><jats:p>The present study investigated the statistical predictive utility of indicators of nutritional status on heart‐rate‐defined phases of attention in 3‐month‐old infants. The former included infant anthropometric variables; maternal blood cadmium, lead, and hemoglobin concentrations; and maternal serum transferrin receptor concentrations. A multiple regression analysis using indicators of nutritional status as predictors and attentional performance as the criterion was statistically significant (R = 0.69, p = 0.04). Maternal cadmium concentrations were the only statistically significant individual predictor (partial r = 0.66, p < 0.001). Additional t–tests demonstrated significant differences in attentional performance between those with the highest quartile of cadmium concentrations versus all other infants (t(36) = 3.00, p < 0.005), which was not attenuated by high iron status (t(36) = 2.40, p = 0.02). This supports the use of maternal nutritional status variables to statistically predict early infant attention abilities. This research was supported by National Research Initiative Grant 2008‐35200‐18779 from the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold><jats:italic>Grant Funding Source</jats:italic></jats:bold><jats:italic>: National Research Initiative Grant 2008‐35200‐18779 from the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture</jats:italic></jats:p></jats:sec>