Dietary diversity practice and associated factors among late adolescent girls in Tegede district high Schools, northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Introduction: Estimating the dietary and nutrient intake is one of the indirect methods of assessing nutritional status. Diets of adolescent girls in developing countries including Ethiopia are low in diversity, mostly consuming cereals with limited animal source foods and essential nutrients that led to malnutrition. The problem is highly exacerbated at adolescent stage, which exhibited rapid physiological changes. Hence, this study aimed to assess dietary diversity and associated factors among high school late adolescent girls in Tegede district.Methods: A school based cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 systematically selected adolescent girls from January to February 2018 in Tegede district high schools. Dietary diversity score was measured using a validated 24-hour dietary recall questionnaire based on 10 food groups. Binary logistic regression was used and Bi-variable and multivariable analysis were used to identify factors associated with dietary diversity and 95% confidence interval and Odds Ratio (OR) was computed to assess the strength of association. Variables with 0.05 p-value in the multivariable analysis were taken as significantly associated with the dietary diversity score.Result: The proportion of adolescent girls who had adequate dietary diversity was 47.3% [95% CI: (42- 52%)]. Urban residences [AOR=6.60(3.90 11.16)], Living with family [AOR=5.53(3.26 9.37], common decision on food preparation at household level [AOR=1.97(1.14 3.39], school nutrition club member [AOR=2.33(1.34 4.05)] and access to home gardening (AOR=2.69[(1.57 4.62)] were significant determinants of adequate dietary diversity.Conclusion: This study indicated the proportion of adolescent girls who had diversified diet was low. Family residences, Students living status, decision in home food preparation, school nutrition club member and access to home gardening were significant associated factors. These finding underscored that strengthening of school nutritional club and home gardening is mandatory to curb nutritional related problems.

Dietary diversity practice and associated factors among adolescents in Ethiopia, systematic review and meta-analysis

“…A total of 7 studies [6,[22][23][24][25][26][27] with 3,950 study participants were included to estimate the pooled prevalence of dietary diversity practice and associated factors among adolescents in Ethiopia. The sample size of the studies ranged from 400 study participants in a study conducted in the Tegede district [22], to 820 participants in a study conducted in Wolaita Zone [6]. In this meta-analysis, three regions from nine regions of the country were represented; four studies from Amhara [22][23][24][25], two from SNNP [6,26] one from Oromia [27].…”

“…The sample size of the studies ranged from 400 study participants in a study conducted in the Tegede district [22], to 820 participants in a study conducted in Wolaita Zone [6]. In this meta-analysis, three regions from nine regions of the country were represented; four studies from Amhara [22][23][24][25], two from SNNP [6,26] one from Oromia [27]. The studies were conducted from 2015 to 2021 in different regions of the country (Table 1).…”