Factors associated with underweight, overweight, stunting and wasting among primary school-going children participating in a school health initiative in South Africa

Table 1 Sociodemographic profile of the children

Characteristics		Number	%
Gender
	Male	634	49.7
	Female	641	50.3
School
	A	291	22.8
	B	364	28.5
	C	188	14.7
	D	432	33.9
Age (M = 8.44, SD = 4.94)
Age Groups
	3– 5 years	159	12.5
	6– 9 years	737	57.8
	10– 12years	254	19.9
	≥ 13 years	125	9.8
Level of education
	Grade R*	256	20.1
	Grade 1	287	22.4
	Grade 2	206	17.6
	Grade 3	124	9.1
	Grade 4	124	9.1
	Grade 5	97	7.6
	Grade 6	88	6.8
	Grade 7	93	7.3
Living arrangement
	Both parents	358	28.1
	Either mother or father	133	10.4
	Other relatives	194	15.2
	Unspecified	590	46.3
Parents/caregivers’ employment status
	Both parents employed	136	10.7
	Both parents unemployed	125	9.8
	Either mother or father employed	292	23
	Other sources of income including grants	722	56.5

* In South Africa, “Grade R” refers to the grade level that is equivalent to the reception year or the first year of formal schooling in the country’s education system. Grade R is the year before learners in South Africa start formal schooling and has been part of the General Education Training Band (GET) since 1998. It is also commonly known as “Grade RR” or “Reception Year.“ Grade R is part of the Foundation Phase, which is the first phase of the South African schooling system, catering to children from the age of 5 to 9 years old. During this phase, the focus is on developing foundational skills and preparing children for more formal learning in the later grades

ISSN: 2055-0928