Gender Comparison of Nutritional Status of School Going Children Consuming Mid-day Meal

The present study was undertaken in Hisar district of Haryana state. Govt. Primary School of Hisar city and Govt. Primary School of Mangali village of Hisar I block were selected as per the demand of study. A sample of 100 rural and 100 urban respondents of 5-10 year age were taken, thus, to make a total sample of 200 school going children. Anthropometric measurements and dietary intake (24-h recall method) were used to assess the nutritional status of rural and urban school going children who were consuming mid-day meal. Their intake of pulses and green leafy vegetables was significantly lower than RDI. Differences were found in cereals (t=3.17^?), ischolar_mains and tuber (t= 3.51^?), other vegetables (t= 10.64^?), green leafy vegetables (t=5.49^?), milk and milk products (t=9.65^?) and sugar and jaggery (t=6.03^?) intake in the daily diets of rural and urban respondents. Out of 200 school going children, 32.5 per cent were underweight, 27.5 per cent stunted while 17 per cent children were wasted; out of them 5.5, 8 and 3.5 per cent were severely underweight, stunted and wasted, respectively. Magnitude of wasting (26.5%) and underweight (42.1%) was higher in girls in comparison to boys (10.2 % wasted and 25.6 % underweight).