Published date: May 01 2019

Journal Title: Arab Journal of Nutrition and Exercise

Issue title: AJNE: Vol 4, No 1 (2019)

Pages: 1-10

DOI: 10.18502/ajne.v4i1.4480

Shaza Shaaban Zackaria

Hiba Rabie Mohammed

Aim: To provide a summary of the recent data on the nutritional status of school-aged children in developing countries and countries in transition and identify issues of public health concern. An assessment of the nutritional status of students in governmental primary schools in U.A.Q.

Methods:  A retrospective study was conducted from 2016 to 2017 on the nutrition status of Grade 1 school children in Government primary schools. The data was collected from questionnaires that were distributed routinely.

Results: A total of 317 students from 7 different primary public schools in UAQ, with an age range from 5-7 years.  Students with Chronic diseases, congenital anomalies, and hereditary diseases were excluded. The available data indicate that the nutritional status of the students in the reviewed schools is adequate. Where it has shown that mean body mass index (BMI) was 15.2. Underweight, Overweight obesity was not prominent with a percentage of 12% and 10 % respectively. As for anemia, only 7% were diagnosed biochemically. With the mean hemoglobin of 12.1 mg/dl overall.

 Conclusions. The available data indicate that malnutrition is not a health issue in primary students in UAQ primary public schools. These findings emphasize the impact of the school health program on primary students.

[1] Lara M. Nasreddine, Amira N. Kassis, Jennifer J. Ayoub, Farah A. Naja, Nahla C. Hwalla, (2018) Nutritional
status and dietary intakes of children amid the nutrition transition: the case of the Eastern Mediterranean
Region, Nutrition Research. (57):12-27. ISSN 0271-5317,

[2] Ng, S. W., Zaghloul, S., Ali, H., Harrison, G., Yeatts, K., El, M., & Popkin, B. M. (2011). Nutrition Transition
in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 65(12), 1328–1337.

[3] Best C, Neufingerl N, van Geel L, van den Briel T, Osendarp S. (2010)The nutritional status of schoolaged children: why should we care? Food Nutr Bull.31(3):400-17. Review. PubMed PMID: 20973461.

[4] Osman Galal and Judie Hulett (2003) The relationship between nutrition and children’s educational performance: a focus on the United Arab Emirates. British Nutrition Foundation Nutrition Bulletin, 28,
11–20

[5] Haroun, D., ElSaleh, O., & Wood, L. (2017). Dietary and Activity Habits in Adolescents Living in the United
Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study. Arab Journal of Nutrition and Exercise (AJNE), 1(2), 85-100.

[6] Hwalla, Nahla & Shaar, Khuzama & Faour-Klingbeil, Dima & Musaiger, Abdulrahman & Adra, Nada.
(1997). Nutritional status of school children aged 6–10 years in the United Arab Emirates: Comparison
with children from different ethnic origins. Ecology of Food and Nutrition - ECOL FOOD NUTR. 36.
367-384. 10.1080/03670244.1997.9991525.