IMPACT OF EDUCATION OF PARENTS ON NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

In a cross-sectional study the nutritional status of 2585 school children, including 1253 boys and 1332 girls, aged between 5 and 15 years was correlated with the levels of literacy of their parents. The study showed a direct relationship between the levels of literacy of parents and the nutritional status of children. When the same was tested separately for mothers and fathers in relation to the sex of the child, it was noted that nutritional status of boys and girls was not different irrespective of mother''s literacy level. However, in case of fathers it was noticed that with the Increase in the literacy level of fathers, the nutritional status of boys was better than that of girls.KEY WORDS: Nutritional status, Parents education, School children