BACKGROUNDChildhood living conditions have long been recognized to have a long term impact on nutritional and health status (Truswell, 1976, Shannon and Chen, 1988, Lundberg, 1993). The pattern of the urban nutrition condition is probably different compared to the nutrition condition in rural areas. Family income, environment (water supply, sewerage facilities, health services etc) besides cultural background and education could limit growth of the children (Solomons and Gross, 1987, Gross and Monteiro, 1989).
Nutritional problems among schoolchildren will negatively affect their learning skills which is very important in succeeding formal educational processes in school (Pollit, 1990, Lopez et al., 1993). Gross (1989) proposed schoolchildren as one of non-traditional nutritional risk groups which seem to exist in the urban area.
It is noted that one of the important changes in Indonesia is a structural change in the future population structure whereby the number of school-age-children