Assessment of the Nutritional Status of Schoolchildren in the Commune of Abobo

Abstract

Context: The covid-19 pandemic has shaken the world in a deadliest way and also disrupted the food system. In Ivory Coast, malnutrition already exists, so it was important to assess the impact of this pandemic on the nutritional status of schoolchildren after this crisis. Thus this study is carried out to evaluate the relationship of sociodemographic characteristics on the nutritional status of schoolchildren. Methods: A cross-sectional study took place from September 2021 to January 2022, with 1,374 schoolchildren aged 5 to 15 years in the commune of Abobo. Sociodemographic characteristics as well as anthropometric parameters were obtained using a questionnaire administered to schoolchildren. Characteristics such as gender, age, profession as well as the level of education of parents and practice of sporting activity were provided. Anthropometry was measured and thinness, overweight and obesity were defined using a standard protocol. Result: The nutritional status of schoolchildren indicates that 15.3% of schoolchildren in the commune of Abobo suffer from thinness and 3.4% are overweight/obese according to the BMI-age indicator. The nutritional status of children according to gender indicates that 17.2% of boys are thin compared to 13.4% of girls. As for overweight/obesity, it is 4.4% among girls and 2.4% among boys. This difference between the nutritional status of schoolchildren and gender is significant (p˂0.05). The level of education of the children's father and the level of education of the schoolchildren are significantly linked to the nutritional status of the schoolchildren. On the other hand, the age of schoolchildren, the level of education of the mother, as well as the practice of sporting activity are not linked to malnutrition. Conclusion: The present study shows that the BMI of schoolchildren is influenced by socio-demographic characteristics such as age, the educational level of the father and that of the schoolchildren as well as the sex ..