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Zackaria, S. S., & Mohammed, H. R. (2019). An assessment of the nutritional status of students in governmental primary schools in U.A.Q. Arab Journal of Nutrition and Exercise (AJNE), 4(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.18502/ajne.v4i1.4480

https://doi.org/10.18502/ajne.v4i1.4480

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  • Shaza Shaaban Zackaria
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  • Hiba Rabie Mohammed
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Published Date

  • May 1, 2019

An assessment of the nutritional status of students in governmental primary schools in U.A.Q.

Arab Journal of Nutrition and Exercise (AJNE) / AJNE: Vol 4, No 1 (2019) / Pages 1-10

Abstract

Aim: To provide a summary of the recent data on the nutritional status of school-aged children in developing countries and countries in transition and identify issues of public health concern. An assessment of the nutritional status of students in governmental primary schools in U.A.Q.


Methods:  A retrospective study was conducted from 2016 to 2017 on the nutrition status of Grade 1 school children in Government primary schools. The data was collected from questionnaires that were distributed routinely.


Results: A total of 317 students from 7 different primary public schools in UAQ, with an age range from 5-7 years.  Students with Chronic diseases, congenital anomalies, and hereditary diseases were excluded. The available data indicate that the nutritional status of the students in the reviewed schools is adequate. Where it has shown that mean body mass index (BMI) was 15.2. Underweight, Overweight obesity was not prominent with a percentage of 12% and 10 % respectively. As for anemia, only 7% were diagnosed biochemically. With the mean hemoglobin of 12.1 mg/dl overall.


 Conclusions. The available data indicate that malnutrition is not a health issue in primary students in UAQ primary public schools. These findings emphasize the impact of the school health program on primary students.

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