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Malnutrition is one of the largest public health problems in developing countries. India contributes 1/3rd of total malnourished children in the world, with prevalence as high as 29.4%. Chronic malnutrition experienced during early life inhibits growth, retards mental development; reduce motivation and energy level, causing reduction in educational attainments. The purpose of this study was to assess the association of malnutrition with scholastic performance among 8-12 year children in 2 selected private schools in Meerut. This cross sectional study was done among 8-12 year school going children, with sample size of 384, taking the prevalence as 50%, precision as 10%. The private schools were selected randomly from the list of urban schools in Meerut. Malnutrition was assessed using anthropometric measurements and records from school were used to analyze scholastic performance. A total of 483 children across 2 private schools were evaluated wherein 29% of children were found to be malnourished. A significant association between malnutrition and scholastic performance was observed. In conclusion, nutrition have significant impact on the scholastic performance, with all programs running in government schools there is a need for a program in private schools as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Undernutrition in children under 5 years of age is still a great public health burden. Integrated child development services (ICDS) were launched with an idea of making a dent on this age-old issue. Various studies in the past have been done to identify lacunae in the programme, but very few studies are done focussing on the satisfaction of mothers with the supplementary nutrition provided through ICDS programme. The utilisation of the programme depends on various factors, one of which is client satisfaction., Methods and Material: The Anganwadi centres of urban areas of Meerut were line-listed after taking a list of Anganwadis from the Child Development Office. There are 297 Anganwadis in urban areas of Meerut. With help of random number tables, three Anganwadis were selected, and to complete the sample of 152, 51 children from two Anganwadis and 50 from one Anganwadi centre were selected with help of simple random tables. The data thus collected were analysed using Epiinfo version 7.2.3.1., Results: The prevalence of underweight was found to be 34.2%, wasted 19.7%, and stunted 11.2%. Among the characteristics assessed, a majority of mothers, 58.5%, were dissatisfied with the frequency at which supplementary nutrition was provided from the Anganwadis. All children were provided Take Home Ration, and 100.0% of mothers reported using it for all family members. Still 63.2% of mothers were unaware about the iron supplementation in childhood and only 65.8% of mothers had satisfactory handwashing practices., Conclusions: In this study, a majority of mothers were dissatisfied with the frequency at which supplementary nutrition was provided to their children. Also, the prevalence of underweight children was significantly higher when mothers were not aware about the factors affecting nutrition in children. The Take Home Ration given for children was shared among family members in 100.0% families., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)