| dc.description.abstract | Hunger and malnutrition among children in developing countries are major contributors to
impairment of health, quality of life, and survival. Adequate nutrition of school children
ensures growth to full potential, and provides the stepping stone to a healthy life. For food to
provide nutrients to meet children's requirements, it has to be served in portions that are
sufficient for their age, activity level and body weight. The present study was designed to
establish the contribution of school lunch to dietary diversity and adequacy of nutrients in
primary school children. It also investigated how much the portion sizes served contribute to
the children's RDA.
A cross sectional study with a retrospective component was carried out between August and
October 2010 in Kisauni District of Mombasa County. Two schools; one with a school meal
program and one without, were selected for the study. Since all schools in the district had
been in the program at one time, a school was selected that had been out of the program for
about a year. Height and weight measurements of 191 school children were taken and their
socio-demographic characteristics determined using a structured questionnaire. BMI for age
and stunting indices were calculated from the data.
Dietary intake data was acquired using food frequency questionnaires, 24-hour recall and a
dietary diversity questionnaire comprising 8 food groups. Protein, zinc, iodine, iron and
vitamin A were the nutrients on focus. Statistical data analysis was carried out using SPSS
v16, WHO AnthroPlus v3.1.0j Stata version v9, Excel 2007 and Nutrisurvey 2007 and
student's t test. Descriptive statistics, Chi squares, Odds ratios and Univariate logistical
regression were performed with a P-value ≤0.05considered statistically significant.
Prevalence of underweight was 6.3% (program school) and S.6% (non program school). The
prevalence of global acute malnutrition was 16.3% in the program school and 13.6% in the
non program school area. The mean dietary diversity score was 6 for each school and there
- was no difference between the schools using t test. The school lunch's contribution to RDA
was highest in Vitamin A-96% and lowest at iron-S.7%. The meal contributed more to energy and
nutrients when the children were on holiday tuition. The school lunch provided an average of
560.5 Kcal, 10.Sg of protein, 1 mg of iron, 1735 µg of Vitamin A, 1.16mg of Zinc and 10.6
µg of iodine. The average expected proportion of intake for the children participating in a
meal program was 703.5 Kcal, 12.6 g of protein, 3.7 mg of iron, 600 µg of Vitamin A, 2.7 mg
of Zinc and 40 µg of iodine.
The school meal was found significantly able to meet the children's vitamin A RDA, a
nutrient that was deficient in their home diet while the food portions served to the children
were found to be inadequate. The school meal's contribution to the children's dietary
diversity was one extra food group which placed them at an advantage compared to their non
SMP counterparts.
This study recommends that the SMP school comes up with a standardised way of serving
food portions to the children if they are to meet the energy and nutrient requirements they are
supposed to. WFP and policy makers ought to collaborate in designing school meal programs
with a nutrition component in mind in order to improve the nutrient adequacy of the school
meal and to review the food provided as lunch at school if the children's diet diversity is to be
increased through the meal | en |
