Prevalence of Stunting among School Children in Sri Lanka

ABSTRACT: Stunting is a state of the children fail to grow the proper height for their age. By measuring theHeight for age, it can be determined if children are stunting. Low height-for-age reflects an indication of achronic deficiency in growth, such as prolonged illness or undernutrition. It is considered as a measure of pastnutrition. The prevalence of stunting among children is a major risk in having child development in developingcountries. Therefore, identifying the prevalence of stunting and its characteristics is important in the attempt ofreducing the prevalence of stunting focusing the country development through well-nourished children. Thisstudy aims to identify the prevalence of stunting and its characteristics among school children in Sri Lankabased on the Nuwara-Eliyadistrict. The primary data gathered through a sample survey was employed in thisstudy. The sample size is 378 school children and it was selected using stratified random sampling technique.Descriptive statistics; percentages, tables, pie charts, bar charts and line charts were used in analyzing theprevalence of stunting. Gender comparison suggest that male children are more better off than female children.Children coming from urban sector are more likely to be stunted than the children from rural and estate sectors.Increasing income lowering the prevalence of stunting. It is evident that the lowest incidence of stunting isappearing among the children who learning in types 1AB schools. The highest incidence of stunting wasrecorded for the children belonged to poor families compared to non-poor. Mother’s working group hasincreased the prevalence of stunting. Thus, the study suggests to be of concern with gender, living sector, typeof school, income, poverty and mother’s employment in targeting nutritional program to overcome the incidenceof stunting.

Keywords: Gender, Income, Mother’s employment, Prevalence of stunting, School children