Comparative Study of Anthropometric Status of Children Aged 6-12 Years Attending Public and Private Schools in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State

Abstract

Background: The determination of the nutritional status of children is important to the growth of a nation, hence nutritionists focus on childhood nutrition.
Objective: This study was conducted to determine the anthropometric status of children aged 6-12years and compare between children attending public and private schools in Umuahia North Local Government Area, Abia State.
Materials and Methods: A cross sectional comparative study was conducted among 356 children who were randomly selected from four public schools and four private schools in Umuahia North Local Goverment Area, Abia State using a validated questionnare. Descriptive statistics was used to sort the anthropometric characteristics and WHO anthropometry software was used for evaluation.
Results: Equal percentage (1.7%) of children had stunting in both public and private schools. Wasting was higher in private school (9.6%) than in public schools (5.1%). Overweight/obese was seen to be significantly higher (p=0.0006) in private schools than in public schools. The p value for BMI for age showed a significant association (p=0.002) with the age of the children in public schools.
Conclusion: There is no significant difference in stunting, wasting and underweight in children attending public or private schools.

Keywords: Anthropometric status, aged 6-12years, public and private school