Prevalence of malnutrition among school children: a cross-sectional study in Kashmir, India

Abstract

Background
Malnutrition is the most common childhood problem affecting children globally. It remains the primary driver of poor health and early death and illness among children. In the year 2020, on a global scale, approximately 149 million children aged below 5 experienced stunted growth, 45 million faced wasting due to being thin for their height, and 38.9 million were either overweight or obese. Malnutrition has been associated with about 45% of fatalities in this age group. Our research is focused on assessing the prevalence of malnutrition among school-aged children.

Methods
A descriptive Cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among school children in the age group of 6 -19 years studying in two selected government schools of district Budgam, Kashmir. The sampling method used was convenience sampling.  A total of 150 students were assessed for their height and weight.

Results
The results of the study showed that out of the total children (n=150), 34.7 % of school children were underweight, 3.3% were overweight, 3.3% were obese and the rest 58.7 % were normal. Hence overall prevalence of malnutrition was found to be 41.3 %.

Conclusion
This study shows that malnutrition is widely prevalent in school children in rural areas. Around 41.3% of the study population is affected by malnutrition in the form of underweight, overweight and obesity. Given that the nutritional well-being of children serves as a crucial developmental benchmark and a prerequisite for societal advancement, it is imperative to direct the focus of leaders and policymakers toward interventions in these domains.