Abstract:
A study was conducted among the school children (7-9 age group) to
find out the food consumption pattern and nutritional status of children who are the
beneficiaries of school lunch programme of the state.
The socio-economic details inferred through the survey were found to be
. satisfactory. Nuclear families with better living conditions and good educational
levels of the parents were the main factors observed. Most of the children were
completely immunized.
Food consumption survey results revealed a dietary pattern of rice,
pulses, vegetables and coconut oil. The consumption of green leafy vegetables and
fruits by the families was found to be negligible. Dietary profile of school children
revealed that the intake of all the food groups except that of flesh foods were below
the RDA. But when compared to the control group there was a significant increase
in the intake of cereals, pulses, other vegetables, roots and tubers, flesh foods and
sugar and jaggery in the experimental group.
Dental caries was observed in majority of the children. Anaemia was the
most prevalent nutritional deficiency disorder among children.
Prevalence of malnutrition as revealed by anthropometric survey
indicated that the mean height and weight of children in both control and
experimental group was low, when compared with Indian standards. But the
difference in . the body weight between the control and experimental group of
children were statistically significant. Severe malnutrition was not observed in both
groups. From the above observations it can be concluded that there was no incidence
of severe grades of malnutrition among children. When compared with Indian
. .
standard alues, both groups of children were found to have low values. But based
on different grades of malnutrition most of the children in experinlental group came
under normal nutritional status and grade I malnutrition. But majority of children in
the control group where having grade I and grade IT malnutrition.
Intake of protein and vitamins such as riboflavin was found to be high in
control group when compared to RDA. But in experimental group the intake of
retinal and niacin was high when compared to RDA. The intake of all other nutrients
were below the RDA in both groups.
