Background: Nutrition education has the potential to improve eating habits, physical activity and nutritional status of schoolchildren.
Aim: This study aimed to determine the nutritional status, physical activity levels and the associated nutrition knowledge of primary school learners aged 9-14 years in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among learners (n = 368) from eight primary schools. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic, nutrition knowledge and physical activity data. The weights and heights were measured using World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Pearson chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to assess association between categorical variables. Binary logistic regression was used to explore the determinants of wasting and overweight. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: Overweight, wasting and stunting affected 25.8%, 6.3% and 3% of the learners, respectively. Only 52.7% of the learners achieved the WHO recommended 60 minutes of physical activity. The mean±standard deviation nutrition knowledge score of the learners was 70.3±10.9%. Stunted children were more likely to be wasted (odds ratio (OR) = 4.38; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-17.8; p = 0.039). Inadequate dietary diversity score (OR = 0.44; 95% CI 0.22-0.87; p = 0.018) and using non-active forms of transportation (OR = 2.69; 95% CI 1.52-4.76; p = 0.001) were a significant predictor of overweight among the learners.
Conclusions: Overweight was the leading form of malnutrition, coexisting with undernutrition, reflecting the presence of a 'double burden of malnutrition'. Therefore, comprehensive and multi-sectoral interventions to improve healthy eating and physical activity are warranted.
Keywords: Primary school learners; Zimbabwe; nutrition knowledge; perceptions.