Thực trạng dinh dưỡng của học sinh tiểu học huyện Ý Yên, tỉnh Nam Định năm 2024

Vietnamese children are currently facing a significant public health challenge characterized by the double burden of malnutrition, where undernutrition coexists with rising rates of overweight and obesity. This complex nutritional landscape necessitates localized data to inform effective public health strategies. Understanding the specific nutritional status of primary school children is crucial for designing targeted school nutrition interventions. This study aims to describe the current nutritional status of schoolchildren aged 6-10 years in Y Yen district, Nam Dinh province, in 2024, providing essential local evidence to guide continuous nutrition surveillance and timely interventions for improving child health.

Public health officials, policymakers, school administrators, healthcare professionals, and researchers focusing on child nutrition and public health.

This cross-sectional study investigated the nutritional status of 426 primary school children aged 6-10 years in Y Yen district, Nam Dinh province, aiming to provide critical local evidence for guiding school nutrition interventions. Researchers conducted anthropometric measurements (weight and height) following standardized procedures, classifying children's nutritional status—including undernutrition (underweight, stunting, thinness) and overweight/obesity—based on WHO 2007 growth standards using AnthroPlus software. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional design, collecting data from May to December 2024. The results revealed a significant double burden of malnutrition within the primary school population. Specifically, the prevalence rates were 4.7% for underweight, 1.6% for stunting, and 10.1% for thinness. Concurrently, overweight affected 4.9% of children, and obesity was found in 3.1%. While weight and height generally increased with age across both sexes, an interesting gender-specific observation was that 10-year-old girls were taller but had similar weight compared to boys. These findings underscore the complex nutritional challenges in the region, particularly as Y Yen district undergoes urbanization and economic transformation, which can influence dietary habits and physical activity levels. The coexistence of undernutrition and overweight/obesity highlights an urgent need for continuous, integrated school-based nutrition surveillance and timely interventions. The study advocates for comprehensive strategies, including enhanced nutrition education for both students and parents, promotion of regular physical activity within school settings, and systematic monitoring of children’s growth parameters. Such efforts are crucial for early detection and management of nutritional problems, ultimately contributing to improved health outcomes, better academic performance, and holistic development for primary school children.