Nutritional status and personal hygiene practices of primary school children: A cross-sectional study from Meghalaya, India
Background: Poor nutritional status in primary school children can lead to several health problems such as easy susceptibility to common childhood diseases. Personal hygiene status is an important predictor of nutritional status and morbidity in children as water- and sanitation-related diseases are...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2020-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care |
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| Online Access: | http://www.jfmpc.com/article.asp?issn=2249-4863;year=2020;volume=9;issue=11;spage=5506;epage=5510;aulast=Bhattacharyya |
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| author | Himashree Bhattacharyya G K Medhi Star Pala Amrita Sarkar Wallambok Lynrah Ophelia Mary Kharmujai |
| author_facet | Himashree Bhattacharyya G K Medhi Star Pala Amrita Sarkar Wallambok Lynrah Ophelia Mary Kharmujai |
| author_sort | Himashree Bhattacharyya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Poor nutritional status in primary school children can lead to several health problems such as easy susceptibility to common childhood diseases. Personal hygiene status is an important predictor of nutritional status and morbidity in children as water- and sanitation-related diseases are the leading causes of early morbidity and mortality in children. The present study was conducted to assess the nutritional status as well as personal hygiene practices of primary school going children. Method: The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted in selected urban and rural areas of Shillong in children 6–12 years of age. Two schools each from the rural and urban area were selected using simple random sampling. The total sample size calculated was 510. Height, weight, and BMI were taken for all the children following the standard procedures. WHO growth standards were used for grading of nutritional status. A questionnaire with scores was used for grading of personal hygiene status. Results: The overall prevalence of underweight in the children of 6–9 years was 74 (18.7%) and that of stunting was 68 (17.2%). The overall prevalence of thinness and stunting in children aged 10–12 was 38 (19.1%) and 46 (23.2%). The prevalence of nutritional deficiency syndromes was 192 (32.4%). Regarding the personal hygiene status, it was observed that 65 (11%) had very good personal hygiene, 292 (49.3%) were labeled as good, 200 (33.8%) were average, and 35 (5.9%) had poor personal hygiene. Conclusion: The primary school going children in Shillong had poor nutritional status but the majority of them had good personal hygiene practices. Mother's educational status played an important role in determining the nutritional and personal hygiene status of the children. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T11:05:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0f5806e76413460d8939ce161f4598ac |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2249-4863 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T11:05:13Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care |
| spelling | doaj.art-0f5806e76413460d8939ce161f4598ac2022-12-21T23:04:33ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Family Medicine and Primary Care2249-48632020-01-019115506551010.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1016_20Nutritional status and personal hygiene practices of primary school children: A cross-sectional study from Meghalaya, IndiaHimashree BhattacharyyaG K MedhiStar PalaAmrita SarkarWallambok LynrahOphelia Mary KharmujaiBackground: Poor nutritional status in primary school children can lead to several health problems such as easy susceptibility to common childhood diseases. Personal hygiene status is an important predictor of nutritional status and morbidity in children as water- and sanitation-related diseases are the leading causes of early morbidity and mortality in children. The present study was conducted to assess the nutritional status as well as personal hygiene practices of primary school going children. Method: The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted in selected urban and rural areas of Shillong in children 6–12 years of age. Two schools each from the rural and urban area were selected using simple random sampling. The total sample size calculated was 510. Height, weight, and BMI were taken for all the children following the standard procedures. WHO growth standards were used for grading of nutritional status. A questionnaire with scores was used for grading of personal hygiene status. Results: The overall prevalence of underweight in the children of 6–9 years was 74 (18.7%) and that of stunting was 68 (17.2%). The overall prevalence of thinness and stunting in children aged 10–12 was 38 (19.1%) and 46 (23.2%). The prevalence of nutritional deficiency syndromes was 192 (32.4%). Regarding the personal hygiene status, it was observed that 65 (11%) had very good personal hygiene, 292 (49.3%) were labeled as good, 200 (33.8%) were average, and 35 (5.9%) had poor personal hygiene. Conclusion: The primary school going children in Shillong had poor nutritional status but the majority of them had good personal hygiene practices. Mother's educational status played an important role in determining the nutritional and personal hygiene status of the children.http://www.jfmpc.com/article.asp?issn=2249-4863;year=2020;volume=9;issue=11;spage=5506;epage=5510;aulast=Bhattacharyyahygienenutritionalpersonal |
| spellingShingle | Himashree Bhattacharyya G K Medhi Star Pala Amrita Sarkar Wallambok Lynrah Ophelia Mary Kharmujai Nutritional status and personal hygiene practices of primary school children: A cross-sectional study from Meghalaya, India Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care hygiene nutritional personal |
| title | Nutritional status and personal hygiene practices of primary school children: A cross-sectional study from Meghalaya, India |
| title_full | Nutritional status and personal hygiene practices of primary school children: A cross-sectional study from Meghalaya, India |
| title_fullStr | Nutritional status and personal hygiene practices of primary school children: A cross-sectional study from Meghalaya, India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nutritional status and personal hygiene practices of primary school children: A cross-sectional study from Meghalaya, India |
| title_short | Nutritional status and personal hygiene practices of primary school children: A cross-sectional study from Meghalaya, India |
| title_sort | nutritional status and personal hygiene practices of primary school children a cross sectional study from meghalaya india |
| topic | hygiene nutritional personal |
| url | http://www.jfmpc.com/article.asp?issn=2249-4863;year=2020;volume=9;issue=11;spage=5506;epage=5510;aulast=Bhattacharyya |
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