Abstract
We investigated the food intake and physical condition among elementary school children in rural Cambodia during Feb-March 2006. Data were collected from 274 elementary school children (119 boys and 155 girls) aged 9-16 years. The following results were obtained:
1) With regard to the frequency of dietary intake a day, 61% of the students had “three meals”, but 39% of the students had “two meals”. 79% of the students had the largest amount of daily meals at lunch. The frequency of protein-rich food intake, such as meat and dairy products was low.
2) The proportion of underweight children with respect to the Rohrer Index was 80% of all boys and 71% of all girls. Also, the weight and height of both boys and girls in rural Cambodia were lower than those of Japanese children of the same age. Moreover, there were many children who had answered, “normal” in the question about consciousness of their physiques, though they were thin.
The present results show that the nutritional status of elementary school children in rural Cambodia is inadequate. In conclusion, as it is important that children obtain a good nutritional status for their growth, the study recommends a comprehensive strategy to be implemented in rural Cambodia in order to prevent children from the undernourishment.
