RESUMO
Weights and heights of 2,408 Grenadian school-children aged 6-11 years were measured between September 1981 to March 1982, in 7 schools representing the 6 parishes of the island. The nutritional status of these children was assessed using WHO standards which indicated that their full growth potential was not attained. Although severe malnutrition was rare, many of the children were mildly to moderately underweight, wasted and stunted. Children in St. David's were among the shortest. However, when weight for height was considered their measurements more closely approached the WHO standard values than any other group. Children in St. Patrick's were the tallest while those in St. Andrew's were the thinnest. Children in St. George's, St. John's and St. Mark's were in relatively poor condition with St. Mark's and St. John's having the highest proportion of stunting. A comparison with Jamaican children of similar ages showed that the Grenadians were taller but of similar weight. In Grade 5 of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic School the relationship between school achievement, nutritional status, attendance and haemoglobin levels was examined. The Wide Rang Achievement Test (W.R.A.T.) which comprised reading, spelling and arithmetic was used to determine school achievement. Nutritional status was assessed using weight and height measurements. Attendance was obtained from the schools' registers. Of the 3 classes studied only 1 attained Grade 5 level and the students of this class were younger and attended school more regularly than the other 2 classes. Attendance and height were observed to affect school achievement, with attendance related to arithmetic and height, to a lesser extent, related to reading and arithmetic. The children studied had good haemoglobin levels and were therefore not anaemic. Since the contributions made by height and attendance were not large enough to account for the observed deficits in school achievement further research is required.
