Exploring the Multifaceted Influences on Childhood Nutritional Status: A Study Conducted in South Punjab, Pakistan

Introduction The double burden of malnutrition (DBM) in Pakistan is a rising concern affecting school-going children, marked by coexisting under- and over-nutrition within the same population. Key influences include shifts in dietary habits, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle changes due to rapid urbanization. With a focus on Multan, Pakistan, the study seeks to assess the proportion of underweight and overweight students while identifying the risk factors and sociodemographic characteristics associated with this incidence. The aim is to guide future health interventions addressing this multidimensional health challenge. Materials and methods This study, adopting a descriptive cross-sectional research design, collected data from female teenage students through interviews and anthropometric measurements. A total of 300 participants were randomly selected from a comprehensive school list representing diverse urban and rural settings. Participants' weight and height were measured to calculate their body mass index (BMI), categorizing them into underweight, normal weight, and overweight groups. The relevant risk factors were collected through an interview questionnaire. Collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0 (Released 2019; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States), with the results stratified according to socioeconomic, dietary, and psychosocial factors and compared across different weight categories. Results The study collected data from 300 students, revealing a correlation between socioeconomic status, dietary habits, and BMI. Parental occupation significantly affected nutritional status, with children of laborers primarily falling within normal and underweight categories. Dietary habits like frequency of fast food and milk or dairy consumption showed notable associations with nutritional status. Psychosocial factors such as peer or teacher comments about weight and outdoor sports participation also influenced the students' nutritional status. However, factors like family income, video game hours, and the presence of pets at home did not show significant associations with nutritional status. Conclusions The study illustrates a multi-faceted association between socioeconomic status, dietary habits, and BMI among schoolchildren in Multan, Pakistan, emphasizing the need for comprehensive interventions.