Comparative Study of Nutritional Status and Dietary Habits of Children from Public and Private Primary Schools in Zagazig City, Egypt

Abstract

The future of the society depends on the quality of life of the children. The nutritional status of school aged children impacts their health, cognition and subsequently their educational achievement. The present study was conducted to determine the nutritional status and dietary habits of school aged children (6-12 years) attending public (non-fee paying-NFP) and private (fee paying-FP) primary schools in Zagazig city; capital of Sharqia governorate, Egypt. Based on the World Health Organization (WHO) standard mean of Body Mass Index (BMI), obesity and overweight constituted higher percentage among students in the private school than in the public school, while underweight was high among students in the public school (18.7%) compared to students in private school (7.5%). More than half of the public school students (52.7%) complaining of short stature compared to 27.4% of the private school students. A statistically significant difference between the two studied groups regarding taking lunch meal (P-value = 0.03) and the students' preference of eating fried food (P-value = 0.00) were detected. In conclusion, there were statistically significant differences between the two studied groups regarding their Body Mass Index and daily food consumption.