The relationship between nutritional knowledge and growth status among foreign primary school-aged children

Aim: This study aims to evaluate the relationship between nutritional knowledge and growth status among foreign national children who have settled in Turkey through migration. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among foreign national children attending the 3rd and 4th grades in nine public and private primary schools located in the Kepez, Muratpaşa, Konyaaltı, and Döşemealtı districts of Antalya. Data were collected under the supervision of the researcher through a two-part questionnaire comprising "Anthropometric Measurements and Sociodemographic Information" and the "Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire for Children." Anthropometric measurements were conducted by the researcher, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated based on the obtained data. The assessments were carried out using the World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards based on age- and sex-specific z-scores. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software, with a statistical significance threshold set at p<0.05. Continuous variables were presented as mean±standard deviation, while categorical variables were reported as frequencies (n) and percentages (%). Results: A total of 222 foreign national children participated in the study. Among them, 49.1% were girls and 50.9% were boys. The mean age of the students was 9.80±0.79 years. In terms of height, 95.0% of the children were within normal limits; 1.4% were severely underweight, 2.3% underweight, 11.7% overweight, and 9.5% obese. Regarding parental education, 38.3% of mothers and 37.8% of fathers were college graduates, while 25.2% of mothers and 28.4% of fathers had completed high school. The illiteracy rate was 12.6% among mothers and 5.9% among fathers. A statistically significant relationship was found between parental education level and children's BMI categories (p=0.026 for mothers, p=0.020 for fathers). The average nutrition knowledge score of the students was 21.55±5.05. However, no significant relationship was observed between nutrition knowledge scores and BMI categories (p=0.949). Nutrition knowledge was found to differ significantly according to parental education level, number of children, family size, and languages spoken. Conclusion: Supporting the healthy growth and development of foreign children requires consideration of parental education, provision of nutrition education, family involvement in community-based interventions, and regular monitoring; however, further literature is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of these approaches. Keywords: Body Mass Index; Nutrition Knowledge; Growth Monitoring; Foreign National Children