Nutritional Status and Dietary Patterns of School-Aged Children and Adolescents in Urban Pakistan: Addressing Overweight, Obesity and Micronutrient Deficiencies — A Narrative Review

Suhaib Ahmed¹, Ali Ammar Abid², Ilsa Aftab³

Abstract

Pakistan is facing a double burden of mal
nutrition, the coexistence of undernutrition, micro
nutrient deficiencies, overweight and obesity in
children and adolescents.The nutritional status
of school-aged children in urban areas has been
greatly affected by rapid urbanization, altering
dietary patterns, food insecurity, socioeconomic
disparities, and the shift to a sedentary lifestyle.
This is a narrative review to assess the nutrition
al status, dietary pattern, prevalence of over
weight and obesity, and micronutrient deficiency
in school-aged children and adolescents of urban
Pakistan.PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus,
EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and national
nutrition reports were used to search the
literature from 2016 to 2026.All national surveys,
cross sectional studies, systematic reviews and
meta-analyses relating to nutritional status,
dietary patterns, obesity, anemia and micro
nutrient deficiencies were included.The evidence
reviewed indicated that Pakistani children are
significantly affected by stunting, wasting, under
weight status, iron deficiency anemia, vitamin
D deficiency, as well as other micronutrient
deficiencies.At the same time, there was a rise
in overweight and obesity, especially in urban
areas.High intakes of processed foods and
sugar-sweetened beverages, and low intakes of
fruits and vegetables and nutrient-rich foods
were significant drivers of nutritional imbalance.
The results reveal that the problem of mal
nutrition is an important public health issue in
school-going children and adolescents in
Pakistan.Interventions that address nutrition
more comprehensively, such as school-based
nutrition programs, food fortification, nutrition
education, routine nutrition screening, and
promotion of healthy dietary behaviors and
physical activity are critical to improving nutrition
outcomes and reducing the long-term health
burden of malnutrition.