Monitoring the Growth of Working Children within the Age Range of 5-6 Years in the 15th District of Tehran, Iran, in 2018

Malnutrition in children is associated with decreased learning, inability to acquire skills, and physical and mental retardation. Anthropometric indicators are the most powerful tools for the assessment of the growth and nutritional status of children. The aim of the present study was to investigate the nutritional status of children within the age range of 5-6 years in the Shekoofa club (i.e., a working children club) in the 15th district of Tehran, Iran.

This cross-sectional study was carried out on 53 children. Due to the limited number of working children in the district, the study was conducted using the Census method in 2018. The required data were collected based on the children’s records, anthropometric measurements, and use of the National Center for Health Statistics standard. In addition, the Z score was individually calculated for body mass index/ weight/height for age. The data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 20) and Chi-squared test at a significant level of P < 0.05.

A total of 25 male (47.2%) and 28 female (52.8%) children participated in the present study, respectively. In addition, out of these 53 children, 28 (52.8%) and 25 (47.2%) subjects were reported as Iranian and Afghan, respectively. The anthropometric evaluation showed that 5.7%, 7.5%, and 5.7% of the children were moderately underweight, moderately stunted, and overweight, respectively.

The findings of this study showed that the nutritional status of the children within the age range of 5-6 years in the Shekoofa club is fairly favorable; however, due to the likely presence of micronutrient deficiencies in the studied children, it is suggested to carry out further studies to consider this issue.