Prevalence and Associated Factors of Thinness among School-Aged Children in Public and Private Primary Schools in Kandahar City: A Comparative Study

Zarghoon  Tareen; Sandesh Kumar  Sharma; Khushhal  Farooqi; Ahmad Tameem  Tareen; Najibullah  Rafiqi

doi:10.6000/1929-4247.2026.15.02.6

Authors

Zarghoon Tareen Department of Pediatrics, Kandahar Medical Faculty, Kandahar University, Kandahar, Afghanistan
Sandesh Kumar Sharma Institute of Health Management Research, IIHMR University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Khushhal Farooqi Department of Dermatology, Kandahar Medical Faculty, Kandahar University, Kandahar, Afghanistan
Ahmad Tameem Tareen Department of Internal Medicine, Merwais Regional Hospital, Kandahar, Afghanistan
Najibullah Rafiqi Department of Surgery, Kandahar Medical Faculty, Kandahar University, Kandahar, Afghanistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4247.2026.15.02.6

Keywords:

Prevalence, thinness, school-aged children, primary schools, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Abstract

Background: Thinness, which is a marker of acute undernutrition, is a major public health problem among school-aged children in developing countries. For Afghanistan, little information exists on the prevalence and factors associated with thinness among school-aged children in public and private schools.

Objective: To find out the prevalence of thinness and its associated factors among school-aged children in public and private primary schools of Kandahar City, Afghanistan.

Methods: The analytical cross-sectional study was carried out in schools from May to December 2025 among 885 children aged 6-12 years. The participants were selected by multistage random sampling from 10 public and 10 private schools. Data was collected by pre-testing a questionnaire and standardized anthropometric techniques. Thinness was measured by the WHO Anthro Plus software. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify factors independently associated with thinness, with significance at p < 0.05.

Results: The prevalence of thinness was 8.1% in general. The prevalence of thinness was higher in public than in private schools (11.1% vs. 5.2%) and higher among girls than among boys (10.2% vs. 6.1%). Using multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with thinness were low household income (AOR: 2.75), low dietary diversity (AOR: 4.24), diarrheal illness in the past two weeks (AOR: 3.92), and polygamy (AOR: 3.10).

Conclusion: Thinness is currently a significant issue among school-aged children in the city of Kandahar. There is a need for interprofessional interventions across nutrition, health, and social protection to address children's nutritional problems.

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