The numbers, educational status and health of enrolled and non-enrolled school-age children in the Allai Valley, Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan.
A cluster survey of the age, sex and enrolment status of all school-age children 5-14 years old was undertaken in 2006 in a remote rural sub-district of the Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan about a year after a devastating earthquake. Information was collected on the characteristics of children, their households and parents, and on reasons for non-enrolment. The health and nutritional status of a randomly selected child in each household was assessed and enrolled and non-enrolled children were compared by sex. A total of 2032 children were recorded in 925 households, 845 girls and 1187 boys, a sex ratio of 71 girls/100 boys. Half of all girls were not enrolled in school compared with a fifth of all boys. There was no common reason for non-enrolment and they differed between the sexes. The randomly selected children (n = 897) were moderately malnourished: 43% were stunted, 12% were thin and 46% were anaemic. 66% of a sub-sample of children (n = 269) had a low urinary iodine concentration, which could contribute to a low IQ and impaired hearing. There were no statistically significant differences in the nutritional status or health of non-enrolled and enrolled girls. These data contribute towards an understanding of how to improve the education and health of school-age children in a conservative, rural province of Pakistan.
University of Westminster, Centre for Public Health Nutrition, 115 New Cavendish Street, London W1W 6UW, United Kingdom. ah2108@gmail.com
Andrew
A
Hall
Helen
H
Kirby
D000293:Adolescent; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003625:Data Collection; D055866:Earthquakes; D004522:Educational Status; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*