Green Global
Foundation   Journal
...an emerging window for scientific research and publication across the globe

NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF GOVERNMENT PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN AT URBAN AREAS OF JESSORE DISTRICT IN BANGLADESH (Pages : 28 - 33)

This cross-sectional study was designed to assess the prevalence of malnutrition among urban government primary school children of Jessore District, Bangladesh. A total of 720 students were selected by using multistage sampling process from 24 primary schools of Jessore: 3 schools from each of the eight upazilas of Jessore and 30 students from each of the schools. In the study group, 52.4% were boys and 47.6% were girls. About 31% students were found underweight (boys 32.1% and girls 28.9%), 66% were normal (boys 64.7% and girls 66.5%) and 3.4% were overweight (boys 3.2% and girls 5.2%). Malnutrition was more severe among boys than girls of the same age groups. The risk of malnutrition was more severe in joint family children whose mothers were illiterate and children with working mothers. Regarding the hygiene practice, all the students washed their hand before eating and after defecation. They also found to brush their teeth regularly and about 96% used tube-well water for drinking. From this study, we can point out that, most of the children were normal and percentage of underweight children was low from the national level. Nutrition specific as well as sensitive interventions may be recommended for these primary school children. Download