Anthropometric Status of School aged children (6-12years) Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria

Proper nutrition is essential for sustaining optimum well-being. In children, proper nutrition ensures proper growth and physical development, along with enhanced learning capacity. The significance of attaining high standards of nutrition at school age cannot be overstated, as it lays the groundwork for subsequent health and mental vitality throughout life. The present study aimed at ascertaining the nutritional status of pupils in two rural communities of Anambra State in Nigeria. The design for this study was a cross-sectional survey. Random sampling was done within Aguata Local Government Area to select the towns. Then four public primary schools were randomly selected from the two towns. Height in centimeters and weight in kilograms of 604 school children were collected using well-established standard procedures. The nutritional status of the school children was measured using various anthropometric indices: weight-for-height/BMI-for-age, height-for-age, and weight-for-age. Based on the reference standards laid down by the World Health Organization in 2006, the prevalence of stunting, wasting, undernutrition, and overweight among the children was 30.63%, 2.30%, 14.24%, and 0.99%, respectively. There is a need to enhance the nutritional education of parents and caregivers, as well as reform and increase the quality and quantity of food provided by the existing school feeding program in Nigeria and Anambra State, particularly in rural communities. Keywords: Nutritional status, Stunting, Wasting, Underweight, School children and overweight