Results. A total of 369 studies from 76 different countries
were included. The available data indicate that the
nutritional status of school-aged children in the reviewed
regions is considerably inadequate. Underweight and
thinness were most prominent in populations from
South-East Asia and Africa, whereas in Latin America
the prevalence of underweight or thinness was generally
below 10%. More than half of the studies on anemia
reported moderate (> 20%) or severe (> 40%) prevalence
of anemia. Prevalences of 20% to 30% were commonly
reported for deficiencies of iron, iodine, zinc, and vitamin