The physical and mental development of pupils could be arrested by inadequate food intake and infection with immediate and long term consequences. This has implications on decreased school performances, lower intellig...The physical and mental development of pupils could be arrested by inadequate food intake and infection with immediate and long term consequences. This has implications on decreased school performances, lower intelligent quotient levels, poor psychosocial development, and decreased cognitive functions. This study assessed the growth and body fat distribution among pupils aged 5 - 19 years. A cross-sectional study was conducted among pupils from five primary schools in different communities around Kainji Dam. This assessment was based on a comparison with reference standards set by the World Health Organization to determine their deviations. A qualified registered nurse carried out physical measurements to obtain age, height, and body weight using electronic weighing scale and stadiometer. Data were analyzed using Anthroplusv1.0.4 software. The overall prevalence of stunting was 21.5% with 8% being severely stunted. The prevalence of thinness was 35.2% with 11.2% being wasted while the overall prevalence of underweight was not calculated for children > 10 years old. The prevalence of underweight for 5 - 10 years old children was 16.9% with 2.4% being severely underweight. The curves for both male and female children deviated from normal distribution. Females have higher percentage of stunting than males. This study revealed a high prevalence of thinness and stunting which is the consequence of poor nutrition arising from multifaceted and interrelated circumstances such as poor feeding, eating practices and repeated infection. Intervention such as Home Grown School Feeding Programme of the Government is a right step in improving the nutritional status of pupils in rural communities.展开更多
文摘The physical and mental development of pupils could be arrested by inadequate food intake and infection with immediate and long term consequences. This has implications on decreased school performances, lower intelligent quotient levels, poor psychosocial development, and decreased cognitive functions. This study assessed the growth and body fat distribution among pupils aged 5 - 19 years. A cross-sectional study was conducted among pupils from five primary schools in different communities around Kainji Dam. This assessment was based on a comparison with reference standards set by the World Health Organization to determine their deviations. A qualified registered nurse carried out physical measurements to obtain age, height, and body weight using electronic weighing scale and stadiometer. Data were analyzed using Anthroplusv1.0.4 software. The overall prevalence of stunting was 21.5% with 8% being severely stunted. The prevalence of thinness was 35.2% with 11.2% being wasted while the overall prevalence of underweight was not calculated for children > 10 years old. The prevalence of underweight for 5 - 10 years old children was 16.9% with 2.4% being severely underweight. The curves for both male and female children deviated from normal distribution. Females have higher percentage of stunting than males. This study revealed a high prevalence of thinness and stunting which is the consequence of poor nutrition arising from multifaceted and interrelated circumstances such as poor feeding, eating practices and repeated infection. Intervention such as Home Grown School Feeding Programme of the Government is a right step in improving the nutritional status of pupils in rural communities.
