Nutritional Status and Food Behavior among Primary School Students in Duhok City

Abstract

Background: The assessment of nutritional status as a part of school health component, can serve as a screening tool to identify children who need nutritional intervention and to prevent further deterioration in their nutritional status with reducing the risk of poor school performance.

Objective: Evaluate the primary school students' nutritional status in Duhok City and find out the relationship between students' nutritional status with their food behavior.

Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted throughout the period 25^th November 2014 to 25^th November 2015. Cluster stratified simple random sampling of (700) primary school students who aged 6-12 years were selected of 41 primary schools in Duhok city. Food behavior and socio- demographic data were obtained by direct interview. In addition, height and weight measured in order to calculate body mass index of primary school age children. A questionnaire was modified as a tool of data collection and utilized the height and weight scales for measuring student`s height and weight for the purpose of the present study. Data were analyzed through the use of descriptive and inferential statistical analysis approaches.

Results: the present study showed highest percent (57.1%) of primary school student's nutritional status was healthy weight and more than two third of them were at somewhat healthy food behavior (71.3%). In addition to highly significant relationship between such nutritional status of primary school students and their food behavior with P. value (0.001).

Conclusion: The present study revealed that the primary school students' nutritional status is influenced by their food behavior.

Recommendations: The researchers recommended that schools of Duhok City, health care system and parent should involve in establishing nutritional educational program steps, guidelines, inclusion of health related nutritional topics in school curriculum with yearly screening children including: checking height, weight and BMI according to age.