MEDICAL AREA   

Medicina dello Sport 2010 December;63(4):521-9

Copyright © 2011 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Nutritional status and physical activity in 7-11 year-old female students of Pars-Abad in the province of Ardabil

Nakhostin-Roohi B. ¹, Sojudi A. ², Niknam Z. ³

¹ Islamic Azad University-Ardabil Branch, Ardabil, Iran 2 Research and Education of Ardabil Branch Sports Medicine Federation of Iran, Ardabil, Iran 3 University of Mohaghegh-Ardabili, Iran

Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate the health of students in the city of Pars-Abad at the north-west of Iran.
Methods. A two-stage cluster sampling technique was used to select 284 students between 7-11 years of age. Body mass index (BMI), weight for height Z score (WHZ), height for age Z score (HAZ) and weight for age Z score (WAZ) were calculated to evaluate prevalence of malnutrition. Standard physical activity and socioeconomic status questionnaires (SES) were filled in both by the students and their parents.
Results. Among 284 students, 62% and 12.3% of students had a BMI lower and higher than normal respectively. According to WHZ, HAZ and WAZ, the prevalence of malnutrition was 16.20%, 15.86% and 9.86%, respectively. The SES of 9.5% of students was under average. Seventy-one point nine percent of mothers’ and 48.9% fathers’ education status were under average. There was a significant correlation between the SES and malnutrition markers (WHZ, HAZ and WAZ) (P<0.05). Fifty-four point six percent of students were active less than normal.
Conclusion. It seems that attention to parents’ education and life knowledge is one of the most important factors to prevent student malnutrition, overweight and sedentary life.