Prevalence of Protein Energy Malnutrition among Primary School Children in Govt. Schools of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation - a Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

The study ‘Prevalence of Protein Energy Malnutrition among Primary School Children in Govt. Schools of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation-A Cross Sectional study’ was indented to estimate the Prevalence of Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) among Primary School Children in Government Schools of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. The design adopted was Descriptive design. Sample size was 600 with multi stage cluster sampling. Interview schedule, weighing machine, stadiometer, and growth charts were used as the tools for the study. 2000 CDC growth charts were used for measuring weight for age (Underweight), height for age (Stunting), and weight for height (Wasting). Less than 5th percentile is considered as abnormal. The overall Prevalence of PEM was Stunting 21.8%, Wasting 33.4%, and Underweight 38.5%.