Factor Related to Nutritional Status Among Preschool Aged Children: A Systematic Review

Abstract

          This systematic review aimed to summarize the best available evidence on factors related to nutritional status among preschool-aged children. A systematic search was undertaken to identify studies published from 1987 to 2016. The Study Appraisal Form for experimental study developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute was used to appraise the studies. Data was extracted by using the Data Extract Form developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute The systematic search identified a total of 28 studies investigating factors affecting nutritional status among preschool-aged children. Twenty studies were excluded because of ineligibility for inclusion criteria and inaccessibility to full text. Eight studies met the review inclusion criteria, all of which were correlational descriptive study. All selected studies could not be compared in terms of homogeneity of independent and dependent variables; thus, the results were narrative summarized to describe the characteristics of factors and its associations with nutritional status. The results of this systematic review revealed that, preschool-aged children, family factors that mostly derived from characteristics of mothers and children themselves were associated with nutritional status. This systematic review recommends factors that influence nutritional status of preschool-aged children. These modifiable factors should be manipulated for developing further nutrition promoting programs in this age group