[Characteristics of nutrition status of elementary age of Tuzla's region]

Nutrition status is a reflection nutrition process. For assessment of the nutrition status most valuable data are the physical weight, height and the skin pleat thickness. It is quiet impossible to review the influence of malnutrition on health by medical statistics, because the nutritive deficits are mostly not followed by medical interventions or consultations. For qualitative assessment of the nutrition status we depend to use a large number of methods, because one method only can not give realistic picture of real nutrition status. Final goal is to determinate value of the parameters which speaks for nutrition status of elementary school children for the Canton of Tuzla, give a assessment of nutrition status depending of dietary anamnesis, determinate the relation of increased BMI and nutrition, and finally predict the need for preventive activity. Research has been with 1.554 examinees, by the age of 8, 10, and 14 years, on four counties of Canton of Tuzla, which were picked up randomly. For examination anthropometric measurements were used, a questionnaire. For both sexes is characteristic that there is an increase of height and weight between the age of 10 and 14. It shows that female examinees by the age of 14 are smaller, but heavier than male examinees. Female examinees of any age have a higher value of skin pleat thickness around biceps, triceps, subscapular and abdomen muscles, just like the BMI. T-test did not show any significant difference (P > 0.05) of average values of physical weigh, height, skin pleats between male and female. Based on questionnaire we concluded that 21 % examinees are suffering malnutrition, dietary nutrition have 48.3% examines and 30.5% have normal nutrition. Implication of malnutrition which leads ton increase of BMI is significant for female examinees. Using all measured parameters and questionnaires about nutrition, we concluded that females suffer a higher risk of diseases related to increase of BMI, so preventive activities are mending to start in early age diseases related to increase of BMI, so preventive activities are mending to start in early age.