Promotion of

Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics

under the auspices of

Department of Home and Health Sciences

ABSTRACT

This project was aimed to study some aspects of nutritional anaemia in male school children.

A total of 150 children, aged at 5-12 years were classified into normal and 1 st, 2nd, 3rd and 4 th degree of malnutrition group as per Jellifies classification. Hematological investigation included hemoglobin, serum ferritin, and Vit B12 and red cell follate levels.

The data reveled that only 50 % of the children were of normal nutritional status and the rest were suffering from malnutrition. Further 6% percent of cases, the malnutrition was of sever type (4 th degree) and 10.5% of the cases were suffering from 3 rd degree of malnutrition. The numbers of cases in 2nd and 1st degree of malnutrition were 14 % and 19.5%. The mean values of HB (gm%), weight (kg), height (cm) and mid upper arm circumferences (cm) were 11.68, 23.59, 105.95 and 17.20 respectively.

The prevalence of anaemia and malnutrition was found to be 40% and 50% respectively. The blood levels of serum ferritin, Vit B 12 and red cell follate were assessed for the sixty anaemic children. All the children were having low level of serum ferritine whereas thirty and twenty children were having low levels of vitamin B 12 and red cell follate respectively.

It was concluded that iron deficiency is the most common cause of nutritional anemia. Different variables such as family income, family size etc. were analyzed. All of them showed a positive link with nutritional anemia. P values were significant for all variables. Recommendations were made with a request fro implementation at family, school and national level.