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A survey of the nutritional status of schoolchildren. Relation between nutrient intake and socio-economic factors.

Year: 1973
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study was designed to examine the dietary intake of schoolchildren, to investigate its relation- ship to health and socio-economic factors, and to explore the extent and nature of poor nutrition.The techniques employed were based on those used by the Ministry of Health (1968) in their study of pre-schoolchildren.The reliability and problems of these have been discussed previously (Topp, Cook, and Elliott, 1972).The following information was sought for each child participating in the study:(1) a one-week weighed diet record closely supervised by a trained fieldworker (Topp et al., 1972);(2) a socio-economic questionnaire* administered by the same fieldworker.This included information on family structure, father's occupation, mother's education and working status, the child's health history and eating pattern, and the parents' heights;(3) a medical examination to assess clinically the nutritional status of the child, to look for clinical evidence of vitamin deficiency, and to obtain measurements of height, weight, triceps and sub- scapular skinfold thickness, arm circumference, and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR).The medical assessments were carried out by one of two medical officers who were trained together and frequently discussed criteria in the field in order to minimize variation in both the measurement techniques and the clinical assessment.This paper will not discuss the findings of the medical examination, which will be reported separately.But it should be mentioned here that no overt clinical evidence of nutritional deficiency was found in any child.
DOI: 10.1136/jech.27.2.91
Authors: J Cook, D G Altman, M C Moore, S G Topp, W W Holland, A Elliott
Language: English
Field: Nursing
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2007707578
FWCI: 3.966
Cites: 19
Cited by: 67
Related to: 10