Banda Aceh – A study by the World Food Programme (WFP) has found that primary school children in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and Nias suffer from insufficient nutrition, inadequate healthcare and poor hygiene.

The situation could provoke widespread parasitic infections and result in stunted physical growth and retarded intellectual development in the areas, which were severely hit by a 9.6-magnitude earthquake and tsunami in late 2004.

"The findings will help us fine-tune our school feeding program to ensure that children's diets are supplemented with the right nutrients," said WFP area coordinator Charlie Higgins.

Researchers surveyed a total of 1,920 children in 80 schools in Aceh and Nias.