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Abstract

Introduction & Aim: Child hunger is a very significant issue today. UNICEF estimate states that nearly 195 million children are malnourished worldwide. Millions of children living in developing nations are at risk of malnutrition. Iodine deficiency can lead to a variety of health and developmental consequences even mild deficiency can cause a significant loss of learning ability. Evidence shows that the health of students is linked to their academic achievement, so by working together, we can ensure that young people are healthy and ready to learn. Recent studies have demonstrated that nutrition affects students� thinking skills, behavior and health, all factors that impact academic performance. Therefore, the investigator designed this study to assess the knowledge regarding iron deficiency anemia and malnutrition among school students and in order to improve the knowledge through planned teaching program. Methods: One group pre- and post-test design was used for this study. After the anthropometric assessments and Body Mass Index (BMI) of 144 populations, 68 adolescent school students in the age group of 11-16 years who are identified as mild to moderate level of malnutrition at Alankuppam rural area of Puducherry, India were selected as participants of the study. The knowledge of school students was assessed using self-administered multiple-choice questionnaire in their own language Tamil. Results: Among 68 school students, 2.94% of them had adequate knowledge in pre-test, after intervention 82.4% of them gained adequate knowledge on iron deficiency anemia and malnutrition in post-test. Conclusion: Comparison of pre-test and post-test knowledge scores shows that there was considerable increase in posttest knowledge. Only 2 students had adequate knowledge in pre-test, whereas in post-test, 56 students (82.4%) had adequate knowledge and shows significantly effective at the level of p<0.05. References 1.Bradley B, Green A C (2013) Do Health and Education Agencies in the United States Share Responsibility for Academic Achievement and Health? A Review of 25 years of Evidence About the Relationship of Adolescents� Academic Achievement and Health Behavior�s. J Adolesc Health; 52(5): 523-532. 2.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010) The association between school-based physical activity, including physical education and academic performance. Atlanta, GA, U S. Department of Health and Human Services. 3.Basch C E (2010) Healthier Students Are Better Learners: A Missing Link in Efforts to Close the Achievement Gap. New York: New York. Columbia University. 4.McKenzie F D, Richmond J B (1998) Linking health and learning: An overview of coordinated school health programs. In: Marx E, Wooley S F, Northrop D, eds. Health is Academic: A Guide to Coordinated School Health Programs. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Biography

Usha S is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Child Health Nursing, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, India. She has completed her undergraduate degree at Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Tamil Nadu, India and Post-graduate degree at Rajiv Gandhi University, Bangalore, India. She has worked as an Assistant Nursing Superintendent at PIMS Hospital and presently involved in Integrated Nursing Service and Education as Departmental In-Charge in Female Surgical Ward, PIMS and Assistant Professor cum Class Coordinator for BSc Nursing program at College of Nursing, PIMS. She is also a Trainer in Newborn Resuscitation.