Nutritional Status of Children in Primary Schools in the Oio and Cacheu Regions in Guinea‐Bissau

There has been no survey of nutrition status among primary school children in Guinea‐Bissau. To fill this gap, a USDA funded pilot project and Cluster Randomized Control Trial to improve nutrition in the population were conducted. We assessed weight‐for‐age, height‐for‐age, BMI‐for‐age Z‐scores (WAZ, HAZ, BAZ) and anemia in 4,807 children. Nutrition status of children in primary school is a concern (23.8% WAZ <‐2, 6.9% WAZ <‐3, 16.0% HAZ <‐2, 3.8% HAZ <‐3, 15.7% BAZ <‐2, 3.5% BAZ <‐3, 18% mild anemia, 21.6% moderate anemia, and 5.5% severe anemia). Boys scored worse than girls on all measures. 40.0% of children surveyed were older than the expected age range (6‐12 years old); up to 18 years. These 12‐18 year‐old boys have a much worse nutrition status (p<0.05) compared to those aged 6‐12 years on all measures and compared to 12‐18 year old girls. Nutrition status of 12‐18 year old girls was similar to those aged 6‐12 years of age. Nutrition status among boys and girls aged 6‐12 years was similar. There is a high rate of malnutrition among children in primary school in rural Guinea‐Bissau. A larger than expected number of children in primary schools were older than 12 years of age. Those planning nutrition programs for primary school in rural Guinea‐Bissau should be prepared to address the special nutrition needs of adolescents. The school platform can be an important channel to address nutrition in this age group that is often underserved by the public health system.