Dual Burden of Malnutrition among Primary School Children in Myanmar

Abstract

Background: The distribution of childhood nutritional diseases is shifting from a \npredominance of under nutrition to a dual burden of under-and over nutrition \nin low and middle income countries. Rapid \neconomic development and urbanization lead to an increase in overweight and obesity and diet-related chronic diseases. The \nco-existence of under-and over nutrition is double burden and this is a public \nhealth challenge for community. Objective: To find out the nutritional status of primary school children. Method: The \nstudy was school based descriptive study \nand conducted during November 2014 to February 2015 in basic primary schools, \nbasic middle schools and basic high schools in urban and rural area of Yangon, Mandalay, Taungyi and Mawlamyaing. A total of (2937) \nGrade IV and Grade V students were measured for weight, height and 592 students \nwere measured for haemoglobin by standard equipment and standard procedure. Results: The overall prevalences of \nstunting, wasting, overweight, obesity and anaemia were 8.8%, 15%, 4.6% and \n3.1% and 36.1% respectively. \nThe prevalences of \nstunting, over weight and obesity were \nmore prevalent in boys and wasting and anaemia were more prevalent in girls. \nThe result showed that the stunting was more prevalent in rural than in urban (7.5% in urban and 12.0% \nin rural). The prevalences of overweight \nand obesity were higher in urban than rural area (overweight 5.3% in urban and 2.8% in rural, obesity 3.8% in \nurban and 0.9% in rural). Children residing in urban area had higher anthropometric parameter than rural children. Conclusion: The \npresent study observed the coexistence of obesity, overweight and \nundernourishment (wasting and stunting) among Myanmar School children.The findings highlighted \nthe need for continued health promotion efforts to improve nutritional status of primary school children.