Assessment of nutritional and physical activity status of children in a selected school of district Dehradun

ABSTRACT

Background: Adequate levels of physical activity combined with a balanced diet are two essential components of healthy lifestyle. Healthy eating and physical activity habits formed during childhood can persist into adulthood and prevent or delay premature onset of a number of chronic diseases.Methods: Present cross-sectional study was carried out using a questionnaire-based interview. It was conducted among school going children of age 8 years to 18 years. A total of 318 students were included in the study by means of total enumeration from class 2nd to class 12th of a selected school of field practice area conducted from July 2019 to September 2019.Results: The total of 318 students participated in the study. Majority of the respondents were involved in Moderate to vigorous physical activity (40.3%). Moreover, majority were found to be normal on the basis of stunting, wasting and body mass index for age 80.2%, 79.2%, 64.4% respectively.Conclusions: Physical activity level was found to be low as the age of children advanced. In female students the level of physical activity was low to moderate as compared to male students. Solutions to improve physical activity and nutritional status in children need to be incorporated for Indian schools’ curricula.