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

Abstract

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 of Adolescents in Eastern Sudan: A Cross-Sectional Community-Based Study

“…Moreover, our results revealed a lower prevalence of stunting compared with the pooled prevalence of stunting reported in a meta-analysis among adolescents in South Africa (9·6%) [ 6 ] and Ethiopia (22.4%) [ 7 ]. On the other hand, the prevalence (7.5%) of stunting in our study was higher than that recently reported (5.7%) among school adolescents in high schools in the town of Durame in Ethiopia [ 11 ]. Although none of the investigated factors (age, sex, parents’ education, and occupation) were associated with stunting in our study, several previous studies in Africa have shown that increasing age [ 20 , 21 ], male sex [ 7 , 15 ], and female sex [ 17 ] were associated with stunting.…”

“…Our results were slightly lower than the prevalence of overweight and obesity reported in sub-Saharan Africa. For example, of the 498 adolescents in Ethiopia, 9.2% were overweight [ 11 ], and in the Bauchi metropolis, Nigeria, 11.0% and 9.7% of the adolescents were overweight and obese, respectively [ 22 ]. Moreover, at Rivers State University in Nigeria, 19.9% of 10–17-year-old adolescents were overweight/obese [ 8 ].…”

“…Moreover, the double burden of malnutrition (stunting and overweight/obesity) is widely prevalent among adolescents in Africa [ 6 ]. Several studies have been published on the prevalence of nutritional status and its associated factors among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. For example, different rates of stunting among adolescents were reported in various African countries [ 6 , 7 , 10 , 11 , 14 , 15 , 19 ].…”

“…Several studies have been published on the prevalence of nutritional status and its associated factors among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. For example, different rates of stunting among adolescents were reported in various African countries [ 6 , 7 , 10 , 11 , 14 , 15 , 19 ]. The association between stunting and several factors, such as age [ 20 , 21 ] and sex [ 7 , 15 , 17 ], and the varying prevalence of thinness among adolescents in different African countries [ 8 , 10 , 11 , 14 , 19 ] have also been reported.…”

“…For example, different rates of stunting among adolescents were reported in various African countries [ 6 , 7 , 10 , 11 , 14 , 15 , 19 ]. The association between stunting and several factors, such as age [ 20 , 21 ] and sex [ 7 , 15 , 17 ], and the varying prevalence of thinness among adolescents in different African countries [ 8 , 10 , 11 , 14 , 19 ] have also been reported. Aside from stunting and thinness, different rates of overweight and obesity have been observed in several African countries [ 8 , 9 , 11 , 22 ].…”