Nutritional Status of urban primary school children in Meerut

Abstract

Objectives: To study the nutritional status of primary school children (5-11 years) in urban Meerut. Study Design: Crosssectional. Setting: Govt. Primary Schools of Urban Meerut. Participants: 800 school children (5-11 years). Methodology: Out of a list of all govt. primary schools, 5 were randomly chosen. Students aged 5-11 years were included in the study. Weight and height of the children were recorded on a pretested Performa and were analysed. Statistical Analysis: percentages and Chisquare test. Result: Out of 800, 396 children (49.5 %) were found be malnourished. Grade I malnutrition was most common (35.5%) followed by grade II (11.4%) and grade III (2.6%) malnutrition.. Wasting was found in 44.6% children (46.3% girls and 43.2% boys) out of which 1.2% children showed severe degree of wasting. Stunting was found in 43.8% children (46.0% girls and 41.8% boys). Conclusion: Malnutrition can make learning difficult and can seriously hamper the educational process and the child’s intellectual growth. Promoting appropriate dietary habits through effective nutrition education is an effective preventive method. Main focus should be on qualitative and quantitative improvements on the diets (increased intake of energy, protein, micronutrients) with increased awareness on importance of preventing under nutrition.