F&N Bulletin Vol 23 No 1b - United Nations University

Nutritional status of urban primary schoolchildren. 2
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TABLE 3. Z score and prevalence of nutritional status according to sex, age, and type of school, based on
height-for-age (HA) indicator
Mean ± SD
Nutritional status (%)
Sex and age (yr) School n HA Z score < –2 SD Normal > 2 SD
Male
8 Public 162 –0.5150 ± 1.1820 8.02 91.36 0.62
Private 73 0.0305 ± 1.3486 5.48 89.04 5.48
Both types 235 –0.3456 ± 1.2589 7.23 90.64 2.13
9 Public 152 –0.8990 ± 1.0184 16.45 83.55 0.00
Private 75 0.0244 ± 1.3826 4.00 90.67 5.33
Both types 227 –0.5939 ± 1.2281 12.33 85.90 1.76
10 Public 159 –0.9360 ± 1.3936 19.50 76.10 4.40
Private 66 –0.2382 ± 1.2907 7.58 87.88 4.55
Both types 225 –0.7313 ± 1.3981 16.00 79.56 4.44
All ages Public 473 –0.7799 ± 1.2228 14.59 83.72 1.69
Private 214 –0.0545 ± 1.3425 5.61 89.25 5.14
Both types 687 –0.5540 ± 1.3044 11.79 85.44 2.77
Female
8 Public 164 –0.5351 ± 0.9776 4.88 94.51 0.61
Private 76 –0.0771 ± 1.2381 6.58 86.84 6.58
Both types 240 –0.3900 ± 1.0855 5.42 92.08 2.50
9 Public 159 –0.9680 ± 1.2493 15.09 84.28 0.63
Private 75 –0.1672 ± 1.1597 4.00 94.67 1.33
Both types 234 –0.7113 ± 1.2750 11.54 87.61 0.85
10 Public 135 –0.7629 ± 1.1225 13.33 85.93 0.74
Private 71 –0.1643 ± 1.2121 4.23 92.96 2.82
Both types 206 –0.5565 ± 1.1860 10.19 88.35 1.46
All ages Public 458 –0.7525 ± 1.1327 10.92 88.43 0.66
Private 222 –0.1354 ± 1.1991 4.95 91.44 3.60
Both types 680 –0.5510 ± 1.1897 8.97 89.41 1.62
schools. This result is in agreement with the use of
school status (public or private) as a proxy for social
and economic status of the parents. Parents of children
from private schools were better educated than those
of children from public schools.
The anthropometric data also demonstrated that the
growth pattern of children from private schools on
average was close to the WHO reference standard. This
supports the established concept that the growth
potential of underprivileged children is influenced
more by environmental conditions than genetic
factors [15].
Linear growth achievement
The study found that the younger children were taller
relative to the older children when they were the same
age. Schoolchildren’s height has been considered a valid
indicator of the nutritional status of the population
and a proxy for the socioeconomic condition of the
population [16, 17]. The linear growth of the schoolage
children is the reflection of their nutritional status
during the preschool period, particularly during their
critical growth period (the first two years of life).
This study showed that the average growth of 8-yearold
children is better than that of 9-year-old children
and that of 9-year-old children is better than that of
10-year-old children. In addition, the average linear
growth of children from families of higher socioeconomic
status (those attending private schools) is
better than that of children from families of lower
socioeconomic status (those attending public schools).
Assuming that the measurement errors are random
across study subjects, the differences might be associated
with nutritional status during the preschool
period. The question is, What was happening during
their critical growth period? At the time of the study,
the critical growth years for children currently 8 years
old occurred in 1990 to 1991; for children 9 years old,
it occurred in 1989 to 1990; and for children 10 years
old, it occurred in 1988 to 1989. During the critical
growth period of these children, other sources of data
indicated that there had been a continuous improvement
of the nutritional status of children aged 0 to 5
years [18]. This improvement is likely to be reflected
in school-aged children. The nutritional status of