3 Asian Journal of Clinical Pediatrics and Neonatology Original Article Nutritional Profile of Rural School Children. Michelle A Donald 1 , Kirsten Hoogenhout 1 1 College of Medical Pediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. Abstract Background: Children are not given an chance for better future due to lack of grasp of their nutritional and emotional needs, which affects not solely the man or woman child’s health however additionally nation’s monetary progress. Methods: A college primarily based go sectional find out about was carried out among major college adolescents in 6-14 years of age located in field exercise vicinity pane. Results: The pilot study result showed forty five % morbidity. With this assumption using components n= 4pq/d2 a sample dimension of 488 used to be calculated, for that reason a complete of 500 students were protected in the study. The key findings of our study are 53.4% have been girls, and 53.4% of youngsters belonged to Muslim community Majority of households belong to socio-economic classification II 40.4%. Conclusion: School age is a imperative time in the development of human beings and the School placing affords a strategic factor of entry for improving infant health, self-esteem, existence abilities and behaviour. Malnutrition is a condition of multifactor deprivation. Keywords: Children, Health Status, Nutritional Status, Anaemia. INTRODUCTION Children are assets of any nation; they form a significant section of society and are dependent. These children are not given an opportunity for better future due to lack of understanding of their nutritional and emotional needs. This affects not only the individual child’s health, but also nation’s economic progress. Several factors affect the nutritional status of this group. Among these the socioeconomic and demographic factors are associated with worldwide pattern of stunting and thinness.[1] Malnutrition is a condition of multifactor deprivation. According to Jellife, the ecological factors leading to malnutrition are conditioning influences, cultural influences, socioeconomic factors; factors related to food production and intake as well as availability and utilization of health and others services. Low birth weight and infections are the most important conditioning influences responsible for malnutrition, especially in small children. Diarrhoea, Acute respiratory infection, Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD) like measles, whooping cough and TB and helminthiasis are the common infections that initiate malnutrition and aggravate existing malnutritionThe most widely prevalent form of malnutrition among children is Protein energy malnutrition (PEM). Severe protein energy malnutrition often associated with infection contributes to high child mortality in underprivileged communities. Further, early malnutrition can have lasting effects on growth and functional status Address for correspondence* Dr. Kirsten Hoogenhout College of Medical Pediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. Indian population has a higher body fat content and abdominal adiposity: the latter is particularly associated with insulin resistance and hence NAFLD.[3] Children are considered to be the backbone of the nation. There are concerted efforts to provide care to the children less than 5 years of age through various national maternal and child health programmes for example: ICDS, RCH etc. Apart from mid-day meal programme, which is being run by the government of India under the ministry of primary education, there are no special efforts for children in age group 6-14 years. Various types of government sponsored school health programmes have been launched from time to time but their progress and achievement have been very slow and incomplete. Their services are also limited to the urban and favourable schools. They thus remain a neglected group [2]. MATERIAL AND METHODS A school based cross sectional study was conducted among primary school children in 6-14 years of age from May 2009 to July 2011, from randomly selected four rural schools out of eight schools located in a tertiary care centre. A pilot study was conducted during July 2010 to August 2010 and the pilot study results showed 45 % of children were suffering from one or the other morbidity. With this assumption the following sample size with an acceptable error of 10% level of significance works out, using the formula n= 4pq/d2 a sample size of 488 was calculated, thus a total of 500 students were included in the study. Nutritional status of children was assessed by Indian Academy of Paediatrics classification. It is the most popular classification in India proposed by IAP in 1972, which is calculated by a formula weight of child /expected weight of child of that age X 100 and is graded or interpreted as follows normal or health if weight for age is >80% of expected, Grade I: PEM if weight for age is between 71% - 80% of expected, Grade II: PEM if weight for age is between 61%-70% of expected, Grade III: PEM if weight for age is between 51%-60% of expected, Grade IV: PEM if weight for age is <50% of expected.