Anaemia and iron deficiency are very common worldwide among female adolescents. There is a dearth of literature concerning the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) regarding iron deficiency anaemia (IDA). The magnitude of anaemia as a health problem is enormous and can be engaged by increasing awareness and the promotion of correct attitudes and practices. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a nutrition education intervention in iron deficiency anaemia on the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) among iron-deficient female adolescents in the Gaza Strip. In this intervention study, 89 female adolescents aged 15-19 were recruited and randomly divided into intervention and control groups. Both of the groups received iron supplementation (ferrous fumarate 200 mg) weekly for three months. The intervention group attended nutrition education sessions for 3 months, while the control group did not. The two groups completed KAP questionnaires at baseline and after six months. The nutrition education intervention consisted of lectures, presentations, interactive discussions using posters, and the distribution of information booklets and brochures about proper nutrition, and was conducted for three months. KAP and overall scores before and after the intervention were compared using the Wilcoxon signed ranks test, as the scores did not show normal distribution. Our findings revealed that overall, the female adolescents' knowledge improved significantly after a nutrition education intervention, as the percentage of good knowledge (≥50 %) was 22.7% pre-nutrition educational intervention, and increased to 90.9% post intervention (p <0.001) in the intervention group. Attitude and practice also improved from 36.4% and 54.5% at pre-test to 75.5 % and 75.5% (p <0.001 and p <0.002) at post-test, respectively. Nutrition education intervention has an impact on improving knowledge, attitude and practices of iron-deficient female adolescents compared with control. The nutrition programme should be adopted and integrated into comprehensive intervention programmes to target IDA among adolescents at various levels in Palestine.

The study shows that there is an alarming problem of anaemia and IDA in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. This may indicate that there are insufficient nutrition education programmes, particularly inside schools or by the mass media.

ResumenObjetivo: el objetivo de este estudio fue poner de relieve la prevalencia del sobrepeso y la obesidad en los adolescentes de ocho países árabes. Métodos: estudio transversal basado en escolares, que se llevó a cabo en ocho países árabes: Irak, Jordania, Kuwait, Libia, Palestina, Arabia Saudí, Sudán y Túnez. La muestra total estuvo compuesta por 6.447 adolescentes de 15-18 años (3.111 hombres, 3.336 mujeres). Se utilizaron para determinar los niveles de obesidad de la Fuerza Internacional de Obesidad (IOTF) y los patrones de referencia de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS). Resultados: el estándar de la OMS presentó menor prevalencia de sobrepeso, pero mayor prevalencia de obesidad que el estándar de la IOTF. De acuerdo con la norma IOTF, el sobrepeso entre los varones fue más alto en los adolescentes kuwaitíes (24,8%), seguido de Arabia Saudí (23,2%). Entre las mujeres, se informó de la más alta prevalencia en adolescentes kuwaitíes (22,1%), seguido por las jordanas (20,0%). En cuanto a la obesidad, los adolescentes kuwaitíes presentaron la mayor prevalencia de obesidad tanto en hombres (28,6%) como en mujeres (21,1%). Conclusión: los resultados revelaron que no se ha conseguido ningún progreso en la reducción de la prevalencia de la obesidad. AbstractObjective: The aim of this study was to highlight the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents in eight Arab countries. Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in eight Arab countries: Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Tunisia. The total sample included was 6,447 adolescents aged 15-18 years (3,111 males, 3,336 females). The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and World Health Organization (WHO) reference standards were used to determine obesity levels. Results: The WHO standard provided lower prevalence of overweight but higher prevalence of obesity than the IOTF standard. According to the IOTF standard, overweight among males was highest in Kuwaiti adolescents (24.8%), followed by Saudi Arabian (23.2%). Among females, the highest prevalence was reported in Kuwaiti adolescents (22.1%), followed by Jordanian (20.0%). Regarding obesity, Kuwaiti adolescents showed the highest prevalence of obesity for both males (28.6%) and females (21.1%). Conclusion: Findings revealed no progress in reducing prevalence of obesity.

No abstract