What does this research mean for the field?

School-aged children in Thulamela Municipality, South Africa, face a double burden of malnutrition—characterized by high rates of both stunting and overweight/obesity—that is significantly associated with dietary diversity and parental factors. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.CONFIRMATORY. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to explore dietary patterns, food quality, and nutritional status among school-aged children in Thulamela.

June 6, 2026Open Access

Dietary Patterns, Food Quality, and Nutritional Status of School-Aged Children (8–12 Years) in Thulamela Municipality, Limpopo Province, South Africa: Implications for Public Health

Key Points

The study aims to explore dietary patterns, food quality, and nutritional status among school-aged children in Thulamela.
Cross-sectional design involving 347 children recruited through snowball sampling from eight randomly selected villages
Dietary intake and patterns assessed using structured questionnaires and anthropometric measurements conducted according to WHO standards
Data analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests with significance set at p < 0.05
74.6% of children regularly consumed breakfast, and 60.8% ate three main meals per day
Significant associations found between consumption of vegetables (p=0.012), fruits (p=0.010), dairy products (p<0.001), and whole grains (p<0.001) with nutritional status indicators
21.0% moderately stunted and 20.5% severely stunted; overweight at 42.1% and obesity at 32.6%, indicating a double burden of malnutrition

Abstract

Background Adequate nutrition during childhood is essential for normal physical growth, cognitive development, and long-term health outcomes. In South Africa, both undernutrition and overnutrition continue to coexist despite ongoing interventions, underscoring the importance of understanding children’s dietary practices and nutritional quality. Aim This study aimed to investigate the dietary patterns, food quality, and nutritional status of School-Aged Children (8–12 Years) in Thulamela Municipality, Limpopo Province, South Africa: Implications for Public Health. Methods A cross-sectional design was used involving 347 children recruited through snowball sampling from eight randomly selected villages. Dietary intake and eating patterns were assessed using structured questionnaires. Anthropometric measurements were conducted in line with World Health Organization (WHO) standards, and BMI-for-age, weight-for-age, and height-for-age z-scores were computed. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests, with significance set at p

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