Effective factors on stunted, underweight, and overweight secondary students in Ilam

Being underweight or obese in adolescence may lead to chronic diseases in adulthood. Stunting has adverse effects on behavioral development. The present study assessed anthropometric indices for school children aged 12-14 yr in the city of Ilam in Iran. A cross-sectional study was performed on 493 students aged 12-14 years. Systematic sampling was used to select the samples for each grade. Data was gathered using validated scales. Weight، height، and BMI were recorded and analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS software. CDC2000 criteria were used in anthropometric assessment. The incidence of being underweight، at risk of being overweight، being overweight، or being stunted in the school children studied were 21. 5%، 8. 2%، 0. 6%، and 13%، respectively، based on CDC2000 anthropometric criteria. Furthermore، it was found that stunting in girls was three times higher than in boys. A significant relationship was observed between the incidence of being underweight and the mother’s literacy (p<0. 05). No relationship was found between family height، BMI، stunting، and birth order for being underweight. Considering the prevalence of stunted، underweight and overweight school children، it is necessary to implement appropriate strategies to improve nutritional status by educating parents at the local level.