A Cross-sectional study to assess Morbidity patterns among Primary school children in Urban and Rural areas of District Gautam Buddha Nagar

Background: Morbidity among primary school children is a significant public health concern, with patterns varying across urban and rural settings due to socio-economic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Aim & objectives: To assess and compare the prevalence and pattern of morbidities and to assess the nutritional status among primary school-going students in urban and rural regions of District Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to May 2024 at four randomly chosen government primary schools—two each from urban and rural areas. All students from classes I–V who attended the health camp on the day of the health camp, with parental consent, were examined. A pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather information on sociodemographic characteristics and morbidity trends. SPSS v22.0 was used for the statistical evaluation. Results: Of 303 participants (119 rural, 184 urban), overall morbidity prevalence was high in both groups (80.67% rural; 83.70% urban). Gastrointestinal (48.73%) and ocular morbidities (55.46%) were significantly more prevalent among rural primary school children, whereas dental (36.95%) and ear morbidities (34.23%) were more commonly observed in their urban counterparts. Respiratory, throat, nose morbidities, and micronutrient deficiencies showed no significant differences. Nutritional assessment revealed a higher Prevalence of underweight (20.16%) and stunting (46.21%) in rural children, indicating chronic nutritional deprivation Conclusion: The study highlights distinct morbidity profiles between rural and urban primary school children, underscoring the need for tailored school health programs focusing on preventable conditions such as ocular, dental, gastrointestinal, and nutritional problems.