Socio-demographic and economic factors are associated with nutritional status of adolescent school girls in Lay Guyint Woreda, Northwest Ethiopia

Determinants of Stunting in Young Women Age 13-15 Years in South Galesong District, Takalar Regency, Indonesia: a Cross-sectional Study

Background and Objective

Malnutrition is a serious public health problem in developing countries, including Indonesia. Based on RISKESDAS 2018, the prevalence of stunting aged 13-15 years in Takalar Regency is 24.83%. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of stunting and the determinants of stunting in adolescent girls aged 13-15 years in the South Galesong District, Takalar Regency.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study using purposive sampling method that included 247 adolescent girls in selected junior high schools. Data collection used questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. An anthropometric measurement was converted to the indices of nutritional status using World Health Organization Anthro Plus software.

Results

The prevalence of stunting was 25.1%. Bivariate analysis showed determinant factors related significantly to stunting were energy intake (p<0.001), protein intake (p<0.001), iron intake (p<0.005), and zinc intake (p<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed determinant factors related significantly to stunting were zinc intake (p<0.001, OR=7.993), protein intake (p<0.05, OR=2.248), and knowledge level (p<0.05, OR=2.032).

Conclusion

The occurrence of stunting is related to the quality and quantity of food and the level of adolescent knowledge about balanced nutrition. It is necessary to hold educational programs and interventions on improving nutrition initiated by stakeholders and the department of health, in this case, the health center is needed to reduce stunting rates, especially among adolescents.

Stunting and Underweight among Adolescent Girls of Indigenous Communities in Telangana, India: A Cross-Sectional Study

India's indigenous groups remain vulnerable to malnutrition, despite economic progress, reflecting the reliance on traditional agriculture and the problems of poverty and inadequate education and sanitation. This mixed-methods study analyzed the incidence, causes and determinants of chronic malnutrition, measured through stunting, thinness and underweight among adolescent indigenous girls in Telangana. Using 2017 data on 695 girls aged 11-18 years from 2542 households, the analysis showed that 13% had normal nutritional status, while 87% were stunted, underweight or thin. Early adolescents (11-14 years) had higher underweight prevalence (24.4%), while late adolescents (15-18 years) showed greater stunting (30%). Regressions identified key influencing factors. Higher education levels of heads of households and the girls themselves alongside household toilet access significantly improved nutritional status and reduced stunting and underweight. The sociocultural emphasis on starchy staple-based diets and early marriage also impacted outcomes. Tackling this crisis requires mainstreaming nutrition across development agendas via comprehensive policies, education, communication and community participation. Further research can guide context-specific solutions. But, evidence-based investments in indigenous education, livelihoods, sanitation and women's empowerment are the first steps. Nutrition-sensitive development is indispensable for indigenous groups to fully participate in and benefit from India's progress.

Evaluation of effectiveness of school-based nutrition education in improving the consumption of pulses-based food among female adolescents in Northwest Ethiopia: a cluster randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Protein undernutrition is a prevalent health problem in Ethiopia severely affecting the reproductive outcome of women. This is mainly because of inadequate consumption of protein due to the high cost of animal-origin food and the lack of knowledge about the benefits and the methods of preparation of pulses-based foods. Therefore, this trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition education in improving the consumption of pulses-based foods among female adolescents.

METHODS

A two-arm pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted among female adolescents in Northwest Ethiopia. Clusters were schools assigned into intervention and control groups by cluster randomization. The trial participants were female adolescents. The intervention was pulses-based nutrition education, and the comparator was the usual dietary practice of adolescent girls. The education was delivered over four weeks on a 45-60 min session per week basis. The primary outcome of the intervention was pulses-based food consumption, and the secondary outcomes were knowledge and attitude about pulses food. Data on the outcome and the confounding variables were collected at baseline and end-line of the intervention. The analysis was based on intention-to-treat analysis, and a log-binomial logistic regression model was fitted to the data to calculate relative risk with the corresponding p value adjusted for baseline characteristics. The intervention was considered effective when the p value was < 0.05.

RESULTS

A total of 269 intervention and 278 control participants from the four clusters completed the trial making response rates of 92.1% and 95.2%, respectively. The pulses-based nutrition education enabled participants in the intervention group to maintain their pulses-based food consumption state, while participants in the control group significantly reduced their consumption by about threefold [ARR; 95% CI 2.99 (1.87, 4.79)] from harvesting to non-harvesting season. The consumption of pulses-based food was higher by 16% among the intervention participants as compared to the control participants [ARD; 95% CI 0.16 (0.10, 0.21)].

CONCLUSION

Pulses-based nutrition education is effective in improving the consumption of pulses-based food among female adolescents. Therefore, policies and strategies are required to integrate this intervention in the school nutrition program.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The trial was registered in the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR202111813445259) on 02 November 2021.

Dietary practice and nutritional status and the respective effect of pulses-based nutrition education among adolescent girls in Northwest Ethiopia: a cluster randomized controlled trial

Background

Thinness and stunting are the most severe public health problems among adolescent girls in Ethiopia. An inadequate intake of protein-source foods is the most critical cause, mainly due to the non-affordability of animal-origin foods. However, research into what extent improving pulses-based food consumption could contribute to decreasing the magnitude of protein-energy undernutrition is limited.

Objective

This trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of pulses-based nutrition education in reducing the proportion of thinness among adolescent girls.

Methods

A two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted among adolescent girls in Northwest Ethiopia from December 2021 to June 2022. A total of 602 adolescent girls from four schools were enrolled in the trial. Schools were assigned to intervention and control groups using the stratified cluster randomization method. Pulses-based nutrition education was the intervention, whereas the usual dietary practice of adolescent girls was the comparator. The education was delivered over 4 weeks on a 45-60-min session per week basis. Thinness was the primary outcome of the trial, measured by anthropometry. An intention-to-treat analysis method was used. A log-binomial regression model was fitted to the data. Relative risk with the respective confidence interval and value of p was calculated. A value of p < 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. Stata 16 software was used for the analysis.

Results

About 89.37% of the participants in the intervention group and 92.36% in the control group completed the trial. The pulses-based nutrition education intervention did not show a significant difference in reducing the proportion of thinness among the participants in the intervention group compared to the participants in the control group even though a significant difference was observed in terms of the consumption of pulses-based food.

Conclusion

The present trial was statistically non-significant in reducing thinness among adolescent girls. Similar studies that utilize objective methods for ascertaining pulses-based food consumption need to be conducted.Clinical trial registration: https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/Search.aspx, the trial was registered in the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR202111605102515) on November 12, 2021.

Prevalence and factors associated with malnutrition among school adolescents of Durame Town, Kambeta Tembaro Zone, Ethiopia

Introduction

malnutrition is a major public health issue affecting adolescents globally and developing countries in particular. Adolescent period is very sensitive to malnutrition. Adolescent malnutrition can be affected by different factors. The objective of this study was to assess prevalence and associated factors of adolescent malnutrition among high school students.

Methods

an institutional-based cross-sectional study was carried out among school adolescents in Durame town high schools. Of the 498 selected school adolescents, 455 (91.4 %) were included in this study. Data were entered into Epi data and exported to World Health Organization (WHO) Anthroplus and Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). Odds ratio at 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated to check for the existence and strength of association between variables. P-value less than 0.05 was used to declare significance of association.

Results

the prevalence of stunting, thinness and overweight among adolescents was 26 (5.7%), 11(2.4 %) and 42 (9.2%), respectively. Residing in rural (AOR=5.31, 95% CI: 1.03-27.27) and utilize community based nutrition (AOR=0.26, 95% CI: 0.07-0.98) were associated with thinness. Male (AOR=3.55, 95% CI: 1.62-7.81) and having cattle (AOR=2.78, 95% CI: 1.393, 5.565) were associated with overweight.

Conclusion

around two in twenty-five adolescents are stunted. About one in twenty-five adolescents are thin. More than two in twenty-five adolescents are overweight. Sex of adolescents, having cattle were associated with overweight of adolescent. Rural residence and utilizing community based nutrition were associated with thinness. Minister of Health and other health offices should implement nutrition education to school adolescents by giving emphasis on place of residence and for both male and female adolescents.

Nutritional Status and Associated Factors Among School Adolescent Girls in North Shoa Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Adolescents are the most affected group and the group that is least studied when it comes to malnutrition, which is one of the most important public health concerns in underdeveloped countries, including Ethiopia. Therefore, the goal of this study was to assess nutritional status and related factors among teenage females who are in school.

Materials and Methods

From October 1 to October 25, 2018, 645 young girls in school participated in an institution-based cross-sectional study. Girls in their teen years from the school were selected using a simple random sample method. Anthropometric tests and in-person interviews were used to collect the data. An odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and a p-value under 0.05 were used to declare a statistical association.

Results

This study found that 12.3% and 9.6% of school adolescent girls were stunted and thin, respectively. Being a rural resident (adjusted odd ratio [AOR]: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.05-3.28) and inadequate dietary diversity score (AOR: 3.02, 95% CI: 1.06-4.60) were significant predictors of stunting. School adolescent girls from merchant father were 71% less likely to develop stunting compared with government employee father. Late adolescent age (AOR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.28-4.02) and family size ≥5 (AOR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.05-3.75) were significant predictors of thinness.

Conclusions

Stunting and thinness were the major public health problems among school adolescent girls in the study area. Being a rural resident and inadequate dietary diversity increases the risk of stunting. However, being late adolescent girl and large family size were risk factors for thinness. There was a need for a school-based instruction program that concentrated on a varied diet and methods of encouraging the adolescent girls' appetites.

Stunting and thinness in school-attending adolescents in Addis Ababa

BACKGROUND

Adolescent population Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS) is uncommon in low-income settings. Though Global Diet Quality Score is a good measure of dietary diversity, it has not been used in assessing nutritional outcomes among adolescents. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess school-attending adolescents stunting and thinness status and associations with global diet quality scores in Addis Ababa.

METHODS

A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among school-attending adolescents in the age group of 10-14 years in urban settings in Ethiopia. A multi-stage stratified random sampling procedure was used to select schools and students. A total of 1200 adolescents were included in the study. Binary and Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to determine the predictors of stunting and thinness respectively.

RESULTS

The proportion of school-attending adolescents stunting was 8.17% (95% CI: 6.74%,9.85%) and their thinness status 12.66% (95% CI: 10.89%, 14.67%). The overall mean GDQS food groups for Seven days period consumed were 19.99 + 2.81 SD. Male adolescents were 1.95 times more likely to be stunted compared to female adolescents (1.95; 95%CI: 1.11,3.39). Frequent consumption of low-fat dairy increased the risk of thinness, while frequent consumption of citrus fruits and white root tubers decreased the risk of school-attending adolescents' thinness.

CONCLUSION

The proportion of thin or stunted adolescents attending school was high still, about 1 in 10. Stunting and thinness have no association with the overall GDQS. Nutritional interventions need to consider frequent consumption of citrus fruits, low-fat dairy, and white roots and tubers in school adolescents' nutritional programs. Further studies should validate the GDQS for stunting and thinness of school adolescents.

Undernutrition and its associated factors among school adolescent girls in Abuna Gindeberet district, Central Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Background

Adolescent is the population whose age between 10–19 years old. They are undergoing rapid growth, development and are one of the nutritionally at-risk groups who should need attention. Adolescent undernutrition is a worldwide problem. Even if this stage brings the second window of opportunity to break the intergenerational cycle of undernutrition little is known specifically in the study area. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of undernutrition and its associated factors among school adolescent girls in Abuna Gindeberet district, Central Ethiopia, 2021.

Methods

Institution-based cross-sectional quantitative study design was conducted in Abuna Gindeberet district among 10–19 years adolescent girls attending primary and secondary schools from January 1–30, 2021. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select 587 adolescent girls. Data were collected by using interviewer-administered structured and anthropometric measurements. Data were coded, then entered into the Epi-info version 7.2.2.6 and exported to SPSS version 25 and WHO Anthro plus for analysis. Logistic regression analysis was done to identify predictors of under nutrition. Level of statistical significance was declared at p-value < 0.05.

Results

The overall magnitude of stunting and thinness were 15.4% [95% CI (12–18)] and 14.2% [95% CI (11–17)] respectively. Number of meals per day [AOR = 3.62, 95% C.I (2.16, 6.05)], adolescent girls of lower grades [AOR = 2.08, 95% C.I (1.07, 4.04)] and who did not begin menstruation [AOR = 1.71, 95% C.I (1.06, 2.73)] were significantly associated with stunting. Adolescent girls engaged in vigorous intensity activities [AOR = 2.51, 95% C.I (1.14, 5.54)], poor dietary diversity score [AOR = 4.05, 95% C.I (1.43, 11.46)] and adolescent age [AOR = 3.77, 95% C.I (1.06, 13.37)] were significantly associated with thinness among adolescent girls.

Conclusions

Adolescent girl's undernutrition is a public health problem in the study area. The number of meals per day, adolescent girls of lower grades and who did not begin menstruation were significantly associated with stunting as well as adolescent girls engaged in vigorous-intensity activities; poor dietary diversity score and adolescent age were significantly associated with thinness among adolescent girls. Therefore, government and other stakeholders should focus on these identified factors to improve the nutritional status of adolescent girls.

Trends and factors associated with thinness among late adolescent girls in Ethiopia: Multivariate decomposition and multilevel analysis

Background

Undernutrition among adolescent girls is still a major public health problem in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Even though the global prevalence of thinness among adolescent girls declined over time, it remains steady in LMICs including Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the trends and factors associated with thinness.

Methods

A logit-based multivariate decomposition analysis for a non-linear response model was fitted to identify factors that contributed to the change in thinness over time. For the associated factors, a multilevel binary logistic regression model was employed. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and likelihood ratio (LR) test were used to assess the presence of the clustering effect, and deviance was used for model comparison. Statistical significance was declared at p < 0.05.

Results

Thinness among late adolescent girls declined significantly from 34.4% (95% CI: 32.8%, 36.0%) in 2000 to 24.9% (95% CI: 23.4%, 26.5%) in 2016 with an annual average reduction rate of 1.73%. About 84% of the decrement in thinness was attributed to the change in the effect of the characteristics. The place of residence and marital status were significantly associated with a change in thinness due to the change in coefficients. The compositional changes in the age of the adolescents, religion, and types of toilet facilities were also significantly associated with the change in thinness. From the multilevel binary logistic regression, higher age of adolescents (AOR = 0.83; 95% CI: 0.77, 0.90), improved toilet facility (AOR = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.31, 0.65), middle wealth index (AOR = 1.45; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.90), and female head of the household (AOR = 0.77; 95% CI: 0.61, 0.98) were significantly associated at an individual level, whereas being from Somali (AOR = 2.14; 95% CI:1.76, 3.10) and SNNP region (AOR = 0.35; 95% CI: 0.18, 0.68), they had a statistically significant association with thinness at community level.

Conclusion

Thinness among late adolescent girls declined substantially, but it remains a major public health concern. Nutritional interventions targeting thinness reduction among late adolescent girls should base on the identified factors. Age, residence, marital status, type of toilet facility, religion, wealth index, sex of head of the household, and region were all associated with thinness in this study.

Use of modified composite index of anthropometric failure and MUAC-for-age to assess prevalence of malnutrition among school-age children and adolescents involved in the school feeding program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background

Malnutrition hampers educational performance of schoolchildren coming from low-income families. School feeding program was, thus, launched in public primary schools in Addis Ababa very recently. It is, thus, important to measure the initial nutritional status of participating students to see the effect of the program on their nutritional wellbeing.

Methods

The first-round survey was made at the initiation of the program. A multi-stage stratified sampling from 50 schools located in the ten sub cities of Addis Ababa yielded 4500 children and adolescents of ages five to 19 years. Data was collected on age, height, weight and MUAC of the schoolchildren. Nutritional status was evaluated using conventional anthropometric indicators, modified Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (mCIAF), and MUAC-for-age. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was used to examine classification of malnourishment by MUAC-for-age versus BMI-for-age and mCIAF versus MUAC-for-age. Multilevel mixed effects model was applied to investigate variations in the prevalence of malnutrition across sub cities.

Findings

The area under the ROC curves (AUC) for MUAC-for-age against BMI-for-age z-scores was 0.68 and that of mCIAF against MUAC-for-age was 0.70, respectively, indicating an overall better classification of malnourishment. Mixed effects model showed significant variations in nutritional status of schoolchildren across sub cities. Conventional measures showed that prevalence of stunting, thinness, or underweight among the sample children and adolescents was 23.4, 18.4, and 16.5%, respectively. Assessment by mCIAF, instead, showed a higher prevalence of overall malnutrition (43.4%). MUAC-for-age indicated an acute malnutrition measurement of 33.4%. Significant differences (p < 0.0001) in nutritional status were seen between boys and girls, and among age groups as measured by mCIAF.

Interpretation

Conventional measures of nutritional status undermined level of malnutrition. Instead, mCIAF and MUAC-for-age gave higher estimates of the magnitude of the existing prevalence of malnutrition among the school children and adolescents.

Under nutrition and associated factors among adolescent girls attending school in the rural and urban districts of Debark, Northwest Ethiopia: A community-based comparative cross-sectional study

Introduction

Adolescence is the time of puberty in which a substantial changes in physical, mental, and emotional are observed; Nutritional requirements significantly rise as a result. Even though improving adolescent girls’ nutritional status helps to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition, many studies in Ethiopia focus on determining the nutritional status of under-five and pregnant women and even they don’t show disparities between urban and rural adolescent girls. Thus, this study was aimed at comparing the rural and urban prevalence’s of stunting and thinness and their associated factors among adolescent girls attending school in Debark district, Northwest Ethiopia, 2020.

Method

A community-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 792 adolescent girls from February 25^th to March 21^st 2020. A multi-stage sampling followed by simple random sampling technique was used. Data were collected through a face-to-face interviewer-based questionnaire. Different anthropometric measurements were taken. The collected data were entered to Epi-data and exported into SPSS for analyses. Variables with p-values < 0.25 in the bivariable analysis were exported to multivariable logistic regression model to control confounders and identify the factor. The strength of association and statistical significance was declared using the adjusted odds ratios with its corresponding 95% CI, and p-value ≤ 0.05 respectively.

Results

A total of 757 adolescent girls with a response rate of 95.6% were participated in the study. The overall prevalence of stunting and thinness were 20.1% and 10.3%, respectively. Stunting among rural adolescent girls was 24.2%; whereas it was 16% among urban residents. Likewise, thinness among rural adolescent girls was 8.5%; whereas it was 12.1% among urban dwellers. No latrine [AOR: 1.95 (95% CI: 1.11, 3.43)], lowest media exposure [AOR: 5.14 (95% CI: 1.16, 22.74)], lower wealth class [AOR:2.58 (95% CI: 1.310, 5.091)], and middle wealth class[AOR: 2.37 (95% CI: 1.230, 4.554)] have risen the likelihood of stunting in rural setting while early adolescent age [AOR:3.17 (95% CI:1.445,6.95)] significantly associated with stunting in urban setting. Food insecurity [AOR: 1.95 (95% CI: 1.01, 3.78)] was associated with stunting in overall adolescent girls. Middle adolescent age groups in rural area have more than three times to experience thinness [AOR: 3.67 (95% CI: 1. 21, 11.149)]. Whereas urban resident girls fall in early adolescent age group developed thinness were eight times [AOR: 8.39 (95% CI: 2.48–28.30)].

Conclusion

Stunting was higher among rural adolescent girls as compared to urban. However, thinness was higher among urban dwellers. Lower wealth class, food insecurity, lowest media exposure, and age were significantly associated with stunting and thinness. Hence, increasing latrine coverage, boosting the economic status of the community, and increasing media exposure for adolescent girls should get due attention.

Factors associated with dietary diversity among adolescents in Woldia, Northeast Ethiopia

Background

Consuming diversified food during the adolescent period is essential to build a healthy and active mind for their later life. Food prices increased in the local market due to fewer production of crops. Thus, exploring the dietary diversity of adolescents in this area is crucial to estimate diet quality. So the aim of the study was to identify determinant factors of dietary diversity.

Methods

An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescent students in Woldia town. A total of four hundred eleven students were included in the study. A simple random sampling technique was used to select the participants. The outcome variable was dietary diversity; it was calculated by summing of the number of food group consumed by individuals in the given reference period. Bivariable and multivariable logistic analysis was done. The odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was computed to measure an association. A variable with a P-value less than 0.05 is considered a significant factor.

Results

The proportion of inadequate dietary diversity was 49.1% (95% CI 44.5–53.8). Being female (AOR =5.53, 95% CI 3.447–8.859), secondary and above mothers’ education level (AOR=0. 27, 95%CI 0.153–0.477), living in a family size five and above (AOR= 2.09, 95CI% 1.31–3.34), and poor knowledge about nutrition (AOR=4.56, 95% CI 2.727–7.639) were significantly associated with inadequate dietary diversity.

Conclusions and recommendations

Inadequate dietary diversity was associated with sex, knowledge of nutrition, maternal education level, and family size. It is better to design a nutrition intervention program that focus on nutrition education to scale up diversified food consumption among adolescents.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40795-021-00430-6.

Double Burden of Malnutrition among Female Adolescent Students in Bahir Dar City, Amhara, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Globally, nearly a third of the population suffers from at least one form of malnutrition. Both over- and undernutrition are a growing concern in developing countries particularly among female adolescents. This study was aimed at assessing nutritional status and associated factors among female adolescents in secondary schools of Bahir Dar City, Amhara, Ethiopia, 2019.

METHODS

A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in secondary schools of Bahir Dar City among 682 female adolescent students in 2019. A simple random sampling technique with proportional allocation was used to select study participants. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Data were entered into Epi Info version 7.1 and analyzed by SPSS version 21. Underweight and overweight statuses of the participants were determined by using the WHO cutoff point. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify the significance of association at a 95% confidence interval. P value < 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.

RESULTS

In this study, the prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity was 15%, 8.4%, and 4.7%, respectively. Female adolescents found between age groups of 14-16.5 years old (AOR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.03-2.69), family size ≥ 4 (AOR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.05-4.99), participants who did not eat meat once per week (AOR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.90-2.82), and no onset of menarche (AOR: 4.4, 95% CI: 1.21-15.75) were found to be more likely underweight. In addition, adolescents with family monthly income above 6500 Ethiopian birr (AOR: 12.7, 95% CI: 2.47-65.62), who ate meat two times and more per week (AOR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.47-9.14), and who ate fruit at least once a week (AOR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.05-0.78) were more likely to be overweight compared with counterparts. Conclusion and Recommendation. The prevalence of underweight and overweight was found to be high. Design evidence-based adolescent nutritional intervention shall be emphasized by the government and other concerned bodies to avert the dual burden of malnutrition.

Social, economic and cultural influences on adolescent nutrition and physical activity in Jimma, Ethiopia: perspectives from adolescents and their caregivers

OBJECTIVE

To explore influences on adolescent diet and physical activity, from the perspectives of adolescents and their caregivers, in Jimma, Ethiopia.

DESIGN

Qualitative design, using focus group discussions (FGD).

SETTING

A low-income setting in Jimma, Ethiopia.

PARTICIPANTS

Five FGD with adolescents aged 10-12 years and 15-17 years (n 41) and three FGD with parents (n 22) were conducted.

RESULTS

Adolescents displayed a holistic understanding of health comprising physical, social and psychological well-being. Social and cultural factors were perceived to be the main drivers of adolescent diet and physical activity. All participants indicated that caregivers dictated adolescents' diet, as families shared food from the same plate. Meals were primarily determined by caregivers, whose choices were driven by food affordability and accessibility. Older adolescents, particularly boys, had opportunities to make independent food choices outside of the home which were driven by taste and appearance, rather than nutritional value. Many felt that adolescent physical activity was heavily influenced by gender. Girls' activities included domestic work and family responsibilities, whereas boys had more free time to participate in outdoor games. Girls' safety was reported to be a concern to caregivers, who were fearful of permitting their daughters to share overcrowded outdoor spaces with strangers.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents and caregivers spoke a range of social, economic and cultural influences on adolescent diet and physical activity. Adolescents, parents and the wider community need to be involved in the development and delivery of effective interventions that will take into consideration these social, economic and cultural factors.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Thinness among Adolescent Students in Finote Selam Town, Northwest Ethiopia

Even if adolescence is a window of opportunity to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition, adolescents are the neglected age groups. Hence, information regarding the nutritional status of adolescents is lacking, making creating and implementing intervention programs difficult. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and determinants of thinness among school adolescents in Finote Selam Town, Northwest Ethiopia. A school-based cross-sectional study among adolescent students aged 10–19 in public primary and secondary schools was carried out in Finote Selam Town from February 05 to March 27, 2018. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were employed to select study subjects. A total of 397 adolescent students were included in the study. Pretested structured questionnaires were used to collect the data. Data were entered using Epi Info version 7 and analyzed using SPSS version 20 and WHO AnthroPlus software. A multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with thinness. Crude and adjusted odds ratios with 95% level significance were used to measure the strength of association, and statistical significance was declared at p value less than 0.05. The prevalence of thinness among adolescents was 14.9%. Early adolescent stage (AOR = 4.81; 95% CI : 1.23, 18.51), being male adolescent students (AOR = 2.33; 95% CI : 1.60, 3.40), having less than 1000 birr family monthly income (AOR = 6.54; 95% CI : 3 : 82, 14.89), having 1000–2000 birr family monthly income (AOR = 3.47; 95% CI : 1.15, 7.45), and using well water (AOR = 3.82; 95% CI : 1.46, 10.04) were significantly associated with thinness at 95% confidence interval. The study revealed that prevalence of thinness was high in the study area. Sex, place of residence, and family monthly income were found to be important factors associated with thinness among the respondents.