Evaluation of Undernutrition among School-Aged Children in Dutse, Nigeria: A Comparative Cross-sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54103/2282-0930/31031Keywords:
anthropometry, AnthroPlus, body mass index, stunting, z-scoresAbstract
Background: School-age children in low and middle-income countries face high risks of malnutrition, affecting their growth, cognition, and long-term health. This study compared the nutritional status of government and private primary school pupils in Dutse, Jigawa State, Nigeria, using raw anthropometric indices and World Health Organisation (WHO) AnthroPlus Z-score indicators.
Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted among 500 children aged 5–12 years selected from one government and one private primary school. Weight, height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and hip circumference were measured using standardised procedures. Mean differences by sex, age group, and school type were assessed using independent t-tests. Weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ), and BMI-for-age (BAZ) Z-scores were generated using WHO AnthroPlus and interpreted according to WHO reference standards.
Results: Raw anthropometric measures showed limited differences between groups, with BMI largely comparable across schools and sexes. In contrast, WHO AnthroPlus Z-scores revealed substantial undernutrition. Stunting prevalence was considerably higher among government school pupils than private school pupils, particularly among children aged 10–12 years (65.1% vs. 38.2%). Government school girls aged 10–12 years exhibited the highest burden of stunting, with over 80% below −2 standard deviation for HAZ.
Conclusion: WHO AnthroPlus Z-scores detected significant growth deficits not revealed by crude anthropometric measures. Routine use of standardised growth references is essential for accurate nutritional assessment, and targeted interventions should prioritise government school pupils, particularly girls, among Nigerian school-aged children.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Shukurana A. Sulaiman, Naziru S. Adam, Bilal M. Yunusa , Sadiya U. Balogun
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Accepted 2026-05-11
Published 2026-06-15
