Despite advocacy for health and nutrition services
in primary schools, there is a clear lack of data on the
actual nutritional status of children in this age group in
developing countries and countries in transition. Most
research focuses on malnutrition in young children
under 5 years of age, whereas school-aged children
are often omitted from health and nutrition surveys or
surveillance. There is evidence that treatment programs
providing nutritional care combined with other interventions
to younger children (2 to 3 years of age) have a
greater beneficial effect on nutritional status and other
developmental outcomes than when provided to older