Nutritional Status of Grade Five Students in Selected School of Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Objective: To describe the nutritional status and the factors influencing nutritional status of grade five school children in Manmuni North educational division Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among grade five school children in Manmuni North educational division, Batticaloa. Six schools were selected for this study was receiving nutritional supplements. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated for each child. The age and sex specific BMI charts developed by the National Center for Health statistics 2000 were used as standards. Data were statistically analyzed using the STATA 8.2 software. Results: The prevalence of underweight (< 5th percentile) was 44.4% and the prevalence of overweight (≥ 85th percentile) was 10.5%.The relationship of malnutrition with sex, family type, number of siblings, mother’s occupation, monthly income, worm treatment, food allergy and dental caries were considered for analysis of the studied factors. Sex, number of siblings and worm treatment were statistically significant with malnutrition. Conclusion: Underweight (44.4%) is a problem among grade five children. About 11.0% of them were overweight. Most of the students (66.7%) did not get regular worm treatment; of them (48%) were from rural area. Dental caries were observed in (51%) of students. Students who were malnourished showed statistically significant associations with gender, number of sibling in the families and not taking of regular worm treatment. It is evident that a substantial population does not consume a varied and balanced diet, even though Sri Lankan Dietary Guideline has emphasized the importance of it.