Anthropometric and Socioeconomic indicators of malnutrition among primary school children: A cross-sectional study in rural Lahore.
Background: Nutrition being an important indicator for assessing quality of life determines mother and child’s health among the same socioeconomic class. Assessment of growth and nutrition is considered as one of the indicators of life quality of entire population. Primary school age is a dynamic period of growth and neutral development for children.
Material and Method: A cross sectional, descriptive study was conducted in two schools of Baddoki, Lahore in 2025 to assess the nutritional status of children aged between 7-11 years. Non-probability convenient sampling technique was used to select the children for study. Before collecting data, ethical approval from school authorities were taken. Anthropometric measurements were taken according to WHO recommended standardized procedures. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information through face to face interviews with children. Socio-demographic information and dietary habits were recorded on questionnaire.
Result: A total of 194 primary school children were included in the study, among them 110 were male and 84 were female. The majority of the children had normal weight (70.6%) height (68%), whereas 25.3% children were underweight and 30.4% were short heighted. Around 46% male children and 33.5% female children had BMI in normal range while 9.8% male children and 6.8% female children had below normal BMI. The statistical analysis indicated no significant association between nutritional status and gender of children, nutritional status socio-demographic characteristics. No statistically significant difference was observed between urban and rural children in terms of weight and their BMI. However, height showed a statistically significant difference (p=0.041) between children residing in urban and rural areas.
Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that undernutrition remains a critical public health concern among primary school children aged 7–11 years in rural setting Lahore. The prevalence of underweight (25.3%), stunting (30.4%), and thinness (18.6%) highlights the persistent burden of malnutrition. These findings reflect the ongoing impact of chronic nutritional deficiencies and socioeconomic inequalities on child growth in resource-constrained environments.
Key words: Nutritional status, underweight, stunted, thinness, undernourished, school children
