Prevalence and Association of Malnutrition with Lifestyle practices of Primary School Children in Assiut City

Abstract

Coexistence of obesity and underweight in children is a public health challenge, and in order for a child to develop into a healthy adult, he must follow healthy lifestyle practices in all aspects: nutrition, physical activity and recreation. This study aimed to determine prevalence of overweight/obesity, underweight and stunting among primary school children in Assiut city as well as to assess their association with lifestyle practices Subjects and Methods: A descriptive correlational study design conducted in Assiut city. Four schools were randomly selected (two public and two private) and 850 children from the last three grades were included in the study. A self-administered questionnaire was designed to assess personal data, lifestyle practice and anthropometric characteristics. Results: The prevalence of underweight, overweight and stunting of primary school children were 41.2%, 14.4% and 13.8%, respectively. These proportions were high among males versus females without significant difference and were affected significantly by age (p < 0.05). Frequency of meals >3 times, always eating during screening time, irregular physical activity, not eating vegetables or breakfast and consumed snacks regularly were highly significant risk factors for being overweight/obese (P <0.001). Whereas, no association between most life style practices and stunting. Conclusion: The prevalence of stunting and underweight was high among boys, while girls tend to be overweight / obese. These abnormal weight categories (overweight/obesity and underweight) were significantly associated with lifestyle practices of school children. Therefore, there is need to develop behavioral approach policies to motivate children to change their unhealthy behaviors.