US Government Funded Height Census Presented
February 14, 2008

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On Wednesday, February 13, U.S. Ambassador Charles Glazer presented Salvadoran President Elias Antonio Saca with the results of the Third National Height Census, designed to gauge malnutrition in El Salvador. 

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) financed the printing of educational materials, as well as training of the teachers and facilitators who were responsible for measuring the 167,224 boys and girls from public and private schools.  USAID’s total investment was $143,485.00.

The results of the Third Height Census, carried out in 5,361 public and private schools on April 25, 2007, showed a national chronic malnutrition rate of 15.5% in students age 6-9 years, an improvement of four percentage points compared to the 2000 Height Census.

According to the study, the departments with the highest rate of chronic malnutrition were:

• Morazán                    28.1%
• Ahuachapán               27.1%
• Cuscatlán                  25.8%
• Sonsonate                24.9%

The ceremony was also attended by First Lady of El Salvador and Secretary of the Family, Ana Ligia de Saca, Minister of Health and Public Assistance Guillermo Maza Brizuela, Minister of Education Darlyn Meza, and the United Nations Development Programme Representative, Jessica Faieta.

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