Author:
Gwelo Netsai Bianca,Sumankuuro Joshua,Akintola Olagoke,Brieger William R.
Abstract
Abstract
Background
The double burden of malnutrition among children remains a public health challenge in South Africa. In response, the government of South Africa developed the National Health Policy and Implementation Guidelines for school-going children in 2003. This policy was subsequently upgraded to ‘The Integrated School Health Programme’ in 2012. An element of the programme is the provision of a meal to school-going children on school days. However, evidence suggests that one-third of school-going children continue to have nutritional deficiencies. This study investigated the sociodemographic as well as the nutritional characteristics of school-going children participating in a school health initiative in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
Methods
This was a retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study involving 1,275 children (50.3% females and 49.7% males) aged 3 to 15 years. Epidemiological data on the screening of the children’s nutritional characteristics by school health nurses and school health nutritionists under the integrated school health programme (ISHP) was reviewed and analysed for the study.
Results
Nearly half (50.3%) and 49.7% of the population were females and males, respectively. The average age of participants was 8.4 years old. ‘Underweight’ (p = 0.000), ‘overweight’ (p = 0.000), ‘at risk of overweight’ (p = 0.000),‘stunting’ (p = 0.000),‘severe stunting’ (p = 0.005), ‘wasting’ (p = 0.010), and ‘obesity’ (p = 0.037) were associated with the ‘schools that children attended’. School-going children’ living conditions were significantly associated with ‘normal weight’ (p = 0.000), ‘underweight’ (p = 0.000), and ‘underweight’ (p = 0.028). However, the social grant to parents/guardians had some positive effects on the percentage of children who reported ‘normal weight’ (55.4%), ‘wasting’ (1.0%), ‘underweight’ (4.0%), and ‘at risk of overweight’ (20.2%).
Conclusion
Chronic nutritional deficiencies persist among children. Therefore, ISHP implementation must retarget specific regions of the country to ensure that national goals and gains on school-going children nutrition, are met and maintained. Indeed, considering the positive impact of the government’s social grant programme on the nutritional status of the children in this study, we recommend policy reforms that will increase parents’ and carers’ access to means of subsistence in order to meet the health and nutritional needs of children in the study communities.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health,Nutrition and Dietetics,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism,Medicine (miscellaneous)
Reference42 articles.
1. Ademokun OM, Osungbade KO, Obembe TA. A qualitative study on status of implementation of school health programme in South Western Nigeria: implications for healthy living of school age children in developing countries. Am J Educ Res. 2014;2(11):1076–87.
2. WHO: Maternal, infant and young child nutrition in East and Southern African countries: moving to national implementation, report of a World Health Organization workshop, Entebbe, Uganda, 26–28. November 2013. 2014.
3. Onya H. Health promotion in South Africa. Promot Educ. 2007;14(4):233–7.
4. Shung-King M, Orgill M, Slemming W. School health in South Africa: reflections on the past and prospects for the future. South Afr Health Rev. 2013;2013(1):59–71.
5. Shung-King M, Lake L, Sanders D, Hendricks M. Child and adolescent health. South Afr Child Gauge 2019.