Nutritional Status Of Primary School Children
[A CASE STUDY OF AKOLI-IMENYI CENTRAL SCHOOL, ABIA STATE]

1.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The general objective or main objective of this study is to examine nutritional status of primary school children in Akoli-Imenyi Central school, Abia state, Nigeria. The specific objectives are:

i)   To assess the influence of nutritional status on academic performance of primary school children in Akoli-Imenyi Central school, Abia state

ii)  To investigate the influence of anthropometric parameters on academic performance of primary school children in Akoli-Imenyi Central school, Abia state

iii) To study the influence of parental social economic status on academic performance of primary school children in Akoli-Imenyi Central school, Abia state.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following are some of the questions which this study intends to answer:

i)   What is the influence of nutritional status on academic performance of primary school children in Akoli-Imenyi Central school, Abia state?

ii)  What is the influence of anthropometric parameters on academic performance of primary school children in Akoli-Imenyi Central school, Abia state?

iii) What is the influence of parental social economic status on academic performance of primary school children in Akoli-Imenyi Central school, Abia state?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS     

The following hypotheses were postulated to guide the conduct of this study;

i) There is no significant difference between academic performance of the school children and nutritional status.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is therefore hoped that results of this study will assist parents and other stakeholders in understanding the influence of some anthropometric parameters on academic performance of these pupils. This will also help policy makers in the design and implementation of nutrition education program at primary school level. The study will create a data base on the influence of some anthropometric parameters and social status on academic performance of primary school children within Ikorodu metropolis.

1.7  SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study shall be carried out among the primary school children in Akoli-Imenyi Central school, Abia state. Teachers from the School shall be selected for this study.

1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The researcher encountered some challenges in the course of carrying out the field work and these challenges were the constraints that worked against the optimal realization of what I am set out to achieve. These challenges include:

Time: Students did not have enough time to respond to the questionnaire because they were in a hurry to attend one of their compulsory lessons and this will not allow the researcher to get the adequate information needed from the research instrument.

Communication: It was observed that some of the students find it difficult to interpret the questionnaire so there was need for an interpreter to conduct the survey.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

The following terms were used in the course of this study:

Nutritional status: Refers to the physical well-being of the child in weight and height.

Socio-demographic factors: These include age, gender, birth order, etc.