Title: A Cross-sectional study on the nutritional status of school going children from urban and rural populations of Pakistan

Abstract:

Malnutrition is a globally increasing public health concern among children; it affects number of school children influencing their growth, development and academic performance. 

The tenet of the current cross sectional study was to assess the nutritional biomarkers of school going children of age 12-15 years resulting in stunting, underweight, overweight, bone deformities and other health disparities in nutritionally deprived urban and rural populations of Pakistan. A sample size comprising of 180 school going children was stipulated from the targeted urban and rural populations.

The fallouts of investigation unveiled that both rural and urban populations were experiencing nutritional challenges however; on account of awareness paucity the rustic population was nutritionally more compromised. Hematological tests elucidated 16.7% and 7.8% cases for high glucose level, 35.6% and 27.8% cases for low hemoglobin levels, 14.4% and 15.6% cases for low calcium indices, 12.2% and 4.4% high white blood cell count (WBC), 20% and 14.4% low red blood cell count, 76.7% and 74.4% low hematocrit (HCT) values, among the rural and urban populations respectively. The above mentioned outcomes can serve as a way forward for policy and law maker institutions to curb the possible barricades in the way of healthy nutritional status in these areas.

Biography:

Dr. Aftab Ahmed  is working as Associate Professor, Government College University Faisalabad-Pakistan since 2016. He completed PhD from Government College University, Faisalabad-Pakistan in 2015. He has published more than 50 papers in reputed journals with impact factor more than 120 He has 10 book chapters in international books. He is also working as reviewer in many international impacted journals. He presented his research works at international level at Huazhong University Wuhan, China and Conference on the 8th Asia-Pacific Probiotic Symposium held in Malaysia. He also got two research projects funds from Higher Education Commission Islamabad, Pakistan.