High burden of undernutrition among primary school-aged children and its determinant factors in Ethiopia; a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The prevalence of stunting and underweight among primary school-aged children are moderately high while acute undernutrition (wasting) is more critical than under-five national average as reported in the 2016 Ethiopian Demography and Health Survey. Therefore, this finding warrants the need to design a school-aged children nutrition survey and expand school feeding programs to improve the nutritional status of primary school-aged children in the country. In addition, emphasis should be given to female school-aged children in the early school years, creating awareness for those mothers who lack formal education, and preventing and treating/deworming parasitic infection. Moreover, researchers must conduct research in province/regions which have not yet studied school aged children's nutritional status to date.