Assessment of the nutritional status of malnourished school-age Egyptian children

Abstract

Background The nutritional status of school-age children is a primary determinant of children's health, as it influences their physical and mental development. The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional status and dietary intake of macronutrients and micronutrients in a sample of malnourished school-age children (5–12 years) in Egypt. Patients and methods This was a cross-sectional study that included school-age children (5–12 years) recruited from the outpatient clinic of the National Nutrition Institute, Cairo, Egypt. Participants sampling was performed during the period from June to August 2019. In this study, 85 children of both sexes were enr?olled. Results The studied group constituted 52 boys and 33 girls. There was no statistical difference between them regarding age or sex distribution, and also, the anthropometric measures showed that there were highly significant differences in the weight and BMI between the different groups, but with no difference in the height. More than 50% of the undernourished children were taking unsafe levels of carbohydrates (55.3%) and calories (52.6%), and ~ 40% were taking an unsafe level of fat. Only 2.6% had an unsafe level of consumption of proteins. There was a significant difference in the distribution of % recommended dietary allowances of macrominerals in undernourished and overnourished children compared with that of the normal group. Regarding vitamin intake, the authors found that most undernourished children were consuming unsafe levels of vitamins. Conclusion These findings highlight the need for dietary intervention measures in school-aged children.