Department of Community Medicine, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi 110029, India.
Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India.
J Trop Pediatr. 2021 Jan 29;67(1). doi: 10.1093/tropej/fmaa068.
School-going children and adolescents are rarely targeted in nutrition surveys, despite the significant impact of nutritional status on their health, cognition, educational achievements and future economic productivity. The present secondary data analysis evaluated the nutritional status of children and adolescents in the 5-18 years age group.
The anthropometric measurements of children and adolescents studying in the government and government-aided schools were collected under the 'Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram' in the District Fatehgarh Sahib of Punjab, India between March and August 2018. It was analyzed using SPSS version 21. Mean and standard deviation for weight-for-age, height-for-age, body mass index (BMI) for age z-scores were calculated using World Health Organization's Anthro-plus software.
A total of 897 children's data were included in the study. Out of 352 children in 5-9 years age group, mean weight, height and BMI were 15.7 ± 3.8 kg, 110.7 ± 10.6 cm and 12.7 ± 2.1 kg/m2. About 58.8%, 37.4% and 31.8% of the children were categorized as severely underweight, stunted and thin, respectively. In the 10-18 years age group, mean weight, height and BMI were 30.5 ± 9.5 kg, 140 ± 13.4 cm and 15.2 ± 2.6 kg/m2. Severe stunting was present in 19.4% of adolescents, while 26.9% were severely thin.
Our study depicts a high level of undernutrition in school-going children and adolescents. There is a need to strengthen the nutrition interventions for middle childhood and adolescence period that can help in a healthy transition from childhood to adulthood and break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition. Lay summaryNational and state-level health-priorities focus mainly on improving the nutrition status of under-5-year children, while the school-going children and adolescents are usually neglected. The present secondary data analysis estimates the burden of malnutrition in school-going children and adolescents. These data were collected under one of India's national health programs that intend to tackle childhood illnesses. Our study depicts a high level of undernutrition in school-going children and adolescents. We found that girls were affected more by malnutrition in middle childhood, i.e. during 5-9 years (both by stunting and thinness) compared to boys. But in middle and late adolescence, males were more stunted and thin compared to females. Programs to support adolescents' nutrition interventions could provide an opportunity for a healthy transition from childhood to adulthood and could be an essential step in breaking the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition.
尽管营养状况对儿童的健康、认知、教育成就和未来经济生产力有重大影响，但在营养调查中，上学的儿童和青少年很少成为目标。本二次数据分析评估了 5-18 岁年龄组儿童和青少年的营养状况。
2018 年 3 月至 8 月，在印度旁遮普邦法塔赫加尔沙布地区，根据“Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram”，收集了在政府和政府资助学校就读的儿童和青少年的人体测量数据。使用 SPSS 版本 21 进行分析。使用世界卫生组织的 Anthro-plus 软件计算体重与年龄、身高与年龄、体重指数（BMI）与年龄 z 评分的均值和标准差。
共有 897 名儿童的数据纳入研究。在 5-9 岁年龄组的 352 名儿童中，平均体重、身高和 BMI 分别为 15.7±3.8kg、110.7±10.6cm 和 12.7±2.1kg/m2。约 58.8%、37.4%和 31.8%的儿童分别被归类为严重消瘦、发育迟缓消瘦。在 10-18 岁年龄组中，平均体重、身高和 BMI 分别为 30.5±9.5kg、140±13.4cm 和 15.2±2.6kg/m2。19.4%的青少年存在严重发育迟缓，而 26.9%的青少年严重消瘦。
我们的研究描述了上学儿童和青少年存在严重营养不良的情况。需要加强对中学和青春期的营养干预，这有助于儿童健康过渡到成年期，并打破营养不良的代际循环。
国家和州级卫生重点主要集中在改善 5 岁以下儿童的营养状况，而上学的儿童和青少年通常被忽视。本二次数据分析估计了上学儿童和青少年的营养不良负担。这些数据是根据印度的一个国家卫生计划收集的，该计划旨在解决儿童疾病问题。我们的研究描述了上学儿童和青少年存在严重营养不良的情况。我们发现，与男孩相比，女孩在中学时期（即 5-9 岁时）更容易受到营养不良的影响，包括发育迟缓消瘦和消瘦。但在青春期中期和后期，与女孩相比，男孩的发育迟缓消瘦和消瘦更为严重。支持青少年营养干预的计划可以为儿童向成年期的健康过渡提供机会，并且可能是打破营养不良代际循环的重要一步。
