Assessment of the nutritional status by measuring body mass index and screening of school going children of Khairpur Mirus Sindh.

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the Nutritional Status by measuring Body Mass Index and screening of School going children of Khairpur Mirus Sindh. Study Design: Cross Sectional Descriptive Study. Setting: Department of Pediatrics, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Jamshoro. Period: From 1^st May to 31st May 2015. Material & Methods: Over 2400 children (age 5 to 18 years) studying at schools of Taluka Khairpur Mirus, Sindh. We conducted this study at 40 schools, both from government and private sector. Schools included Primary, Secondary, High and Higher Secondary Schools. Medical History was taken and detailed physical examination done, including Cardiovascular Examination, Eye and Abdominal Examination. History of presence of worms in stool was taken from children. Anemia was checked by palmer inspection. Weight and height was taken by well-trained doctors and paramedical staffs with the help of weight machine and stadiometer. Results: Out of total 2400 children 43.4% were male and 56.6% were female. Mean BMI was 15.97, while mean weight was 30.93 kg and mean height was 136.92 cm. Among 730 children, who were underweight, 54.5% children were mild underweight, while 29.7% children were moderate underweight and 15.7% children were severe underweight. 6% children were overweight, while 4% children were obese. Anemia was present in 63.04% children, Eye Squint was present in 3.1% children, worms infestations were present in 0.2% children and murmur was detected in 0.1% children. Conclusion: We found significant number of children having low BMI (30.4%) and the Mean BMI was 15.97. We also found significant number of children having underweight that is 54.5% children were mild underweight, while 29.7% children were moderate underweight and 15.7% children were severe underweight. On the other hand, overweight and obesity was less common, 6% children were overweight, while 4% children were obese. During Screening, Anemia was (63.04%) and Eye Squint (3.1%) was the most common clinical findings.