Poor nutritional status of schoolchildren in urban and peri-urban areas of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

Abstract

BackgroundMalnutrition is still highly prevalent in developing countries. Schoolchildren may also be at high nutritional risk, not only under-five children. However, their nutritional status is poorly documented, particularly in urban areas. The paucity of information hinders the development of relevant nutrition programs for schoolchildren. The aim of this study carried out in Ouagadougou was to assess the nutritional status of schoolchildren attending public and private schools.MethodsThe study was carried out to provide baseline data for the implementation and evaluation of the Nutrition Friendly School Initiative of WHO. Six intervention schools and six matched control schools were selected and a sample of 649 schoolchildren (48% boys) aged 7-14 years old from 8 public and 4 private schools were studied. Anthropometric and haemoglobin measurements, along with thyroid palpation, were performed. Serum retinol was measured in a random sub-sample of children (N = 173). WHO criteria were used to assess nutritional status. Chi square and independent t-test were used for proportions and mean comparisons between groups.ResultsMean age of the children (48% boys) was 11.5 ± 1.2 years. Micronutrient malnutrition was highly prevalent, with 38.7% low serum retinol and 40.4% anaemia. The prevalence of stunting was 8.8% and that of thinness, 13.7%. The prevalence of anaemia (p = 0.001) and vitamin A deficiency (p < 0.001) was significantly higher in public than private schools. Goitre was not detected. Overweight/obesity was low (2.3%) and affected significantly more children in private schools (p = 0.009) and younger children (7-9 y) (p < 0.05). Thinness and stunting were significantly higher in peri-urban compared to urban schools (p < 0.05 and p = 0.004 respectively). Almost 15% of the children presented at least two nutritional deficiencies.ConclusionThis study shows that malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies are also widely prevalent in schoolchildren in cities, and it underlines the need for nutrition interventions to target them.

Prevalence and factors associated with anthropometric failure, vitamin A and iron deficiency among adolescents in a Nigerian urban community

“…These high rates were similar to the observations from previous studies 5, 6,11 . Assefa et al 16 also reported anaemia prevalence of 30.1% among 12-14 year old school children in Ethiopia.…”

“…The higher prevalence of stunting (P<0.05) among the 12-14 years was a surprise and contradicts previous studies 11,26 in which stunting affected older school children more than younger ones. The reason for this could not be ascertained but the researchers attributed it to the fact that this age group may have had severe nutritional deprivation when they were younger (in the first few years of life) than the older children.…”

“…It implies a shift from indigenous dishes to processed foods. Changes in life style including food habits are often more obvious among urban adolescents 11 . This could be one of the reasons for the high prevalence of malnutrition observed among the school children in Nsukka urban of Enugu State, Nigeria.…”

“…A third measurement was taken if the difference between the two readings was greater than 0.2kg for weight or 0.5cm for height. The mean of the 2 closest reading was used in statistical analysis 11 . Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from the weight and height measurements.…”

Isolated and combined prevalence of anemia, vitamin A deficiency and zinc deficiency in preschool children 12-72 months for the government of Paraíba

“…Em conformidade com os dados desta pesquisa, em estudo realizado no Ceará 32 , com indivíduos na faixa etária dos dois aos 97 meses, os níveis séricos de retinol e de zinco não apresentaram diferenças estatísticas considerando a faixa etária das crianças. Na Paraíba, em pesquisas realizadas com pré-escolares, a idade não apresentou Revista 39 , incluindo a coexistência da deficiência de vitamina A e anemia, que foi a de maior proporção no presente trabalho. As proporções das coexistências reportadas nos estudos anteriores diferem de um estudo para outro.…”