Evaluation of physical health condition of primary school students in Abadan of Iran in comparison with WHO standard

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the physical condition of students in Abadan. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 3522 elementary school students in Abadan city in 2018. The participants were selected using convenience sampling and based on the cooperation of schools. Students' health status, height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) were assessed. Data analysis was performed using SPSS with descriptive and analytical tests, such as Chi-square and One-sample t-test. The majority of students had good nail and hair hygiene. Only 37% of the students had no decayed teeth. Besides, 32.70% of female students and 5.20% of students were infected with Pediculosis. Nail health was also better among male students than females. Furthermore, 73% of the students had healthy eyes. The average height of girls at the ages of 7, 8, 11, and 12 and the height of male students at the ages of 10 and 11 was less than the world health organization (WHO) child growth standards (p-value <0.05). The mean weight of girls at the age of 10 years and the mean weight of boys at the ages of 8, 9 and 10 years was higher than the WHO recommendation (p-value <0.05). BMI of male students at all ages except 7 and BMI of female students at 9, 10, 11, and 12 years was higher than the WHO recommendation (p-value <0.05). Due to the problems regarding health issues and nutritional factors of students and the impact of these problems on children's physical health, it seems that establishing training classes on children's physical health status and associated factors for students and parents and teachers may lead to early detection of these problems and improvement of students' physical condition.