scholarly journals Nutritional Deficiencies and Features of Nutritional Provision in Primary School Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 2-3 (35-36) ◽  
pp. 16-22
Author(s):  
N. Nyankovsky ◽  
◽  
M. Yatsula ◽  
A. Tytusa ◽  
◽  
...  

Introduction. The nutrition of primary school children does not always meet modern nutritional standards. The frequency of nutritional deficiencies, including calcium and vitamin D, among this age group remains unstudied. The aim of the study. To establish the characteristics of nutritional provision and the prevalence of nutrient deficiencies in the daily nutrition of primary school children, including calcium and vitamin D deficiencies and to propose methods of correction. Materials and methods. 5 consecutive stages of the study were conducted. At the first stage in 2019, the assessment of eating behavior in 190 children of grades 1-4 of two schools in the city of Lviv was conducted using a questionnaire. In the second stage, the features of the diet and ration and daily nutritional intake were determined using a special licensed program Dietplan 7 (UK). The analysis of daily nutrient intake was performed for 172 children. In the third stage, a study was conducted on the level of total, ionized calcium and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the blood, and a study on the calcium content in the hair of 56 children with insufficient daily intake of calcium and / or vitamin D. In the fourth stage, 30 children with reduced levels of calcium in the hair were detected, differentiated correction measures were performed. To do this, the children were divided into two groups: the control group - 15 children whose deficiencies were corrected by diet modification, and the main group - 15 children - whose deficiencies were corrected by diet modification and the intake of calcium at a dose of 500.0 mg and vitamin D at a dose of 5.0 mg (200.0 IU) once a day for three months. In the fifth stage, to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment after three months of follow-up, all 30 children were re-analyzed for calcium content in the hair using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results. Appetite disturbance was observed in 28.9 % of schoolchildren, 17.4 % ate under duress, 14.3 % ate irregularly, 13.7% ate insufficient portions, 11.0 % were on different diets, many schoolchildren had eating disorders: ate before sleep (83.6 %), while watching TV (33.6 %). The diet was often unbalanced, children consumed insufficient fish (58.9 %), vegetables (43.2 %), dairy products (33.7 %), meat (26.8 %) Low calcium intake was observed in 50.6 % boys and 70.7 % of girls, vitamin D in 84.9 % of boys and 96.9 % of girls. Among children with a reduced daily intake of calcium and vitamin D, 42.9 % of children had a reduced level of total and / or ionized calcium, 48.2 % had a reduced level of vitamin D in the blood serum, and 53.6 % had a reduced calcium content in the hair. After 3 months of correction, we found that in the hair of children in the main group, who underwent dietary correction and were prescribed calcium and vitamin D, a significant increase in the average calcium content (up to 293.6 ± 80.6 mg/kg; p < 0.01) was observed, while in control group children who received only a modified diet, had only a tendency to increase the average amount of calcium in the hair (up to 185.14 ± 82.38 mg/kg; p > 0.05). Conclusions. For most primary school children, nutrition is unbalanced, which does not meet all the needs of a rapidly growing and intensively developing child's metabolism. A significant number of children have eating disorders: they do not eat regularly, do not eat enough food, eat food while watching TV, just before bed, do not have lunch at school, like fast food, 10% of students are on various diets. Almost a third of schoolchildren have a deficiency of daily intake of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and energy, and half of schoolchildren have a deficiency in the consumption of dietary fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids. Most students have a daily deficiency of iodine, magnesium, selenium, iron and calcium, vitamin E, biotin, vitamin D, retinol, vitamin C, carotene, pantothenate. Among children with reduced daily intake of calcium and vitamin D in 42.9 % of children a reduced content of total and / or ionized calcium in the blood was found, and in 53.6 % of children in this group - in the hair. The use of a non-invasive method of studying the calcium content in the hair allows to determine the calcium deficiency in the child's body and control the process of its recovery. For children with insufficient daily intake of calcium and vitamin D, it is advisable to recommend a diet modification with increased consumption of milk, dairy products, yogurt and cheese, beans, spinach, broccoli, other leafy greens, wheat germ, nuts, sesame seeds, fish. To correct the existing calcium deficiency, it is advisable to use calcium supplements with vitamin D, combining this with a modification of the diet with an increase in food that contains the nutrients mentioned above. Keywords: schoolchildren, food deficiencies, calcium, vitamin D.

Author(s):  
Sunil Pal Singh Chajhlana ◽  
Ramakrishna Narashimha Mahabhasyam ◽  
Maruti Sarma Mannava Varaprasada

Background: The school age period is nutritionally significant because this is the prime time to build up body stores of nutrients in preparation for rapid growth of adolescence. Malnutrition remains the world’s most serious health problem and the single biggest contributor to child mortality, nearly one third of the children in the developing world are either underweight or stunted and more than 30% of the developing world’s population suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. However the data available from urban slums of Hyderabad in this age group is very sparse and hence an attempt has been made to study the same. The objectives were to determine the nutritional status of primary school children and study the factors associated with it.Methods:Study population:  Primary school children (6 to 11 years). Study area: primary schools in urban slums of Hyderabad. Study design: a cross sectional study. Sample size: 412 children. Sampling methods:  Simple random sampling Data collection: By using pre designed and pre tested and pre coded schedule (interview technique, observation, clinical examination). Analysis: By using Microsoft Excel 2007 and Epi Info 3.5.3.Results: The prevalence of underweight was 28.9%, overweight was 9.2% and obesity was 4.4% . Prevalence of stunted height was found among 21.8%. 5.8% children were suffering from Vitamin’ A’ deficiency, 15.0% were suffering from Vitamin B deficiency, and 15.8% were found to be anemic.Conclusions:The prevalence of underweight, Nutritional deficiencies were found to be significantly higher in children of illiterate parents’ and similarly in unskilled worker fathers’ and unemployed mothers. 


Author(s):  
Tetsuhiro Kidokoro ◽  
Yasuo Shimizu ◽  
Kanako Edamoto ◽  
Michael Annear

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of height-adjustable standing desks on time-series variation in sedentary behavior (SB) among primary school children. Thirty-eight children aged 11–12 years (22 boys and 16 girls) from two classes at a primary school in Nagano, Japan, participated in this study. One class was allocated as the intervention group and provided with individual standing desks for 6 months, and the other was allocated as the control group. Time spent in SB, light-intensity physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) was measured using accelerometers (ActiGraph) at baseline and follow-up. Time spent in SB was significantly lower by 18.3 min/day on average in the intervention class at follow-up (interaction effects: F(1, 36) = 4.95, p = 0.035, η2 = 0.082). This was accompanied by a significant increase in time spent in MVPA (+19.9 min/day on average). Our time-series analysis showed significant decreases in SB during school time, while no change in SB was found during non-school time. This result indicates that the use of standing desks promotes an overall reduction in SB with no compensatory increase during non-school time.


2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 300-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Murtagh ◽  
Maureen Mulvihill ◽  
Oonagh Markey

The school has been identified as a key setting to promote physical activity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a classroom-based activity break on in-school step counts of primary school children. Data for 90 children (49 boys, 41 girls, 9.3 ± 1.4 years) from three Irish primary schools is presented. In each school one class was randomly assigned as the intervention group and another as controls. Children’s step counts were measured for five consecutive days during school hours at baseline and follow-up. Teachers of the intervention classes led a 10 min activity break in the classroom each day (Bizzy Break!). Mean daily in-school steps for the intervention at baseline and follow-up were 5351 and 5054. Corresponding values for the control group were 5469 and 4246. There was a significant difference in the change in daily steps from baseline to follow-up between groups (p < .05). There was no evidence that girls and boys responded differently to the intervention (p > .05). Children participating in a daily 10 min classroom-based activity break undertake more physical activity during school hours than controls.


Author(s):  
Mawar Siti Hajar ◽  
Hussein Rizal ◽  
Yee Cheng Kueh ◽  
Ayu Suzailiana Muhamad ◽  
Garry Kuan

Brain breaks is a physical activity (PA) video designed for school settings that is used to stimulate student’s health and learning. The purpose of this study is to measure the effects of brain breaks on motives of participation in PA among primary school children in Malaysia. Purposive sampling was used to divide 159 male and 176 female students aged 10 to 11 years old, mean (standard deviation (SD)) = 10.51 (0.50), from two schools in Kelantan, Malaysia into intervention (n = 183) and control (n = 152) groups. Students undertook brain breaks activities on school days (five minutes per session) spread out for a period of four months. Mixed factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the students’ motives of participation in PA for pre-, mid-, and post-tests using the Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale-Youth-Malay (PALMS-Y-M). Mixed factorial ANOVA showed significant changes in enjoyment, F(2, 392) = 8.720, p-value (ηp2) = 0.001 (0.043); competitiveness, F(2, 195) = 4.364, p-value (ηp2) = 0.014 (0.043); appearance, F(2, 392) = 5.709, p-value (ηp2) = 0.004 (0.028); and psychological condition, F(2, 392) = 4.376, p-value (ηp2) = 0.013 (0.022), whereas mastery, affiliation, and physical condition were not significant (p < 0.05). Further post-hoc analysis revealed a significant downward trend in the control group (p < 0.05). Brain breaks is successful in maintaining students’ motives for PA in four of the seven factors.


Author(s):  
Hussein Rizal ◽  
Mawar Siti Hajar ◽  
Ayu Suzailiana Muhamad ◽  
Yee Cheng Kueh ◽  
Garry Kuan

Brain Breaks Physical Activity Solutions (BBPAS) is a web-based structured physical activity (PA) video that is specifically designed for school settings and can stimulate a student’s health and learning. The purpose of this study is to measure the effect of BBPAS on the stages of change, decisional balance, processes of change, self-efficacy and leisure-time exercise among Malay ethnic primary school children. A validated Malay version of three of the five constructs was derived with sound validity and was used in the present study. A total of 159 male and 163 female children aged 10 to 11 years old, mean (SD) = 10.53 (0.50), were recruited from two schools in Kelantan, Malaysia. Purposive sampling was used to divide the children into intervention (n = 177) and control (n = 145) groups. Children in the intervention group underwent BBPAS activity for an accumulated 30 min per week, while children in the control group were not involved in the BBPAS intervention. Mixed factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine the effect of BBPAS on the study variables. A mixed ANOVA showed significant changes (time effect) on cognitive process, F(1, 320) = 5.768, p-value = 0.017; behavioural process, F(1, 313) = 5.736, p-value = 0.017; and internal feeling, F(1, 312) = 6.050, p-value = 0.014. There was also a significant difference between groups on cons, F(1, 316) = 7.504, p-value = 0.007. A significant interaction effect was observed for stages of change, F(1, 319) = 7.861, p-value = 0.005; pros, F(1, 316) = 31.311, p-value = 0.001; internal feeling, F(1, 312) = 4.692, p-value = 0.031; and behavioural process, F(1, 313) = 7.312, p-value = 0.007. In conclusion, BBPAS was successful in improving four of the five constructs, and thus, should be recommended to be used in schools throughout Malaysia.


Author(s):  
Armando Cocca ◽  
Jovanny Edmundo Carbajal Baca ◽  
Germán Hernández Cruz ◽  
Michaela Cocca

Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) is one of the pedagogical models used for increasing health through physical education (PE), being associated with several psychological benefits. However, only few studies have studied the effect of TGfU on physical fitness. This study aims at assessing the changes in students’ physical fitness after a six-month TGfU-based program with primary school children. A total of eight schools from the state of Sonora (Mexico) were randomly distributed into experimental (EG) and control group (CG). The final sample consisted of 188 pupils (100 boys, 88 girls; age = 10.22 ± 0.76 years) from the 5th and 6th grade. Employing a quasi-experimental design, physical fitness was assessed by means of the Eurofit test battery. At post-test, EG obtained significantly higher scores than CG in flexibility, abdominals, speed (p < 0.001), handgrip (p = 0.002), low-limb power (p = 0.032), and cardiorespiratory fitness (p = 0.048). Our findings suggest that TGfU can be a valid alternative to traditional methodologies not only when the aim of a PE unit is to stimulate the cognitive domain, but also for the development of physical fitness attributes that may help pupils develop in a comprehensive manner.


1967 ◽  
Vol 113 (501) ◽  
pp. 885-893 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sula Wolff

This investigation is part of a larger comparative study of Edinburgh primary school children referred to a psychiatric department with behaviour disorders and of a matched control group of non-referred children.


2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Mokobane ◽  
Basil Joseph Pillay ◽  
Anneke Meyer

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common disorders that can occur in children. The symptoms are thought to result from a deficit in executive functions. This study investigated whether children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder subtypes differed in behavioural planning and response inhibition, two of the domains of executive functioning, from a control group without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms. Furthermore, it examined whether the three attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder subtypes differed from each other in terms of performance. The sample ( n = 320) consisted of primary school children, aged between 6 and 14 years, from the Moletjie circuit (Limpopo). It consisted of an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder group ( n = 160) and a control group ( n = 160). The Disruptive Behavioural Disorder rating scale was used to establish the symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The Tower of London was used to measure planning ability, and the inhibition subtest (arrows and shapes) from the NEPSY-II (Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment, second edition) to measure response inhibition. Analysis of variance was employed to establish differences in subtype, gender, and age group. The results showed that children with the combined attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder subtype demonstrated significantly more deficits than the control group, in both behavioural planning and inhibition control. No significant differences between the hyperactive/impulsive and inattentive attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder subtypes and the control group were found. Gender and age did not influence performance with regard to planning and inhibition tasks. Correlations between planning behaviour and response inhibition were low, which suggests that they are distinct processes.


2021 ◽  
pp. 001391652110146
Author(s):  
Silvia Collado ◽  
Rocío Rodríguez-Rey ◽  
Miguel A. Sorrel

The current research asks whether children’s judgments of harmful actions toward animals depend on animals’ perceived attractiveness. In Study 1, primary school children ( N = 359) rated the perceived attractiveness of six animals and judged how severe it is to hurt them, as compared to moral transgressions, social-conventional transgressions, and personal choices. Hurting attractive animals was perceived as severe as hurting another child, while hurting unattractive animals was evaluated as less serious than social-conventional transgressions. In Study 2, we experimentally tested whether the attractiveness of animals rated as unattractive in Study 1 could be influenced by an environmental education intervention. After the intervention, children in the experimental group ( N = 21) rated unattractive animals as more attractive than before the intervention, and this led to judging harming these animals more severely than before the intervention. No changes were found in the control group ( N = 20).


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document