Background: Pediatric malnutrition is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries including India. This malnutrition can be prevented by proper dietary advice to parents along with early diagnosis and management of malnutrition. The aim of this study was to find out the present nutritional status and its comorbid abnormalities in children attending primary school in rural Kanpur. Objective: To assess the prevalence of underweight, stunting, wasting and comorbid abnormalities of malnutrition in 5 to 10 years age group of school going children. Methods: This study was across sectional study conducted in rural primary schools of Mandhana Kanpur between December 2016 to May 2017 to know the nutritional status of school age children with coexisting morbidities with the help of anthropometric measurement and clinical examination. Results: A total of 400 children were studied belonging to the age group 5 to 10 years including 226 (56.5%) boys and 174 (43.5%) girls. Approximately 54% boys and 50% girls have their weight and height within normal limits. Prevalence of wasting and stunting was highest in 5 to 6 years age group in both sexes. On clinical examination highest number of children were found to be clinically anemic in both sexes but more in girls followed by presence of pharyngitis. Conclusion: In our study we found presence of all types of nutritional deficiency starting from under nutrition to stunting, wasting and associated abnormalities like anemia and pharyngitis. Need of the hour is more steps to be taken to overcome the nutrition gap and abolish the problem of malnutrition.

Keywords: Underweight; Stunting; Wasting; Anemia.