Study of epidemiological determinants of undernutrition among adolescent girls in urban slums of Berhampur, Odisha: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundAdolescent girls are vulnerable to many problems, undernutrition being the most common. This results in growth restriction resulting in stunting, wasting, underweight and last but not the least iron-deficiency anaemia. Nutritional needs are high during puberty which later leads to complications during pregnancy and its outcomes.Materials and methodsA field based cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the nutritional status of the girls and to determine the various factors responsible for undernutrition. After clearance from the Institution Ethical Committee (IEC) and permission from Child Development Programme Officer (CDPO), the study was conducted in the anganwadi centres (AWC) of urban slums in the field practice area of the Department of Community Medicine from the 1st October 2014 to the 31st October 2016. All the adolescent girls enlisted in the seven anganwadi centres were included as study subjects with their consent. A pre-designed, pre-tested and semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on following sections. (a) socio-demographic profile and (b) nutritional status. Dietary intake was taken using the 24-h recall method. Anthropometry was measured and haemoglobin (Hb) was estimated. SPSS version 21 was used for descriptive and analytic statistics.ResultsAmong the 160 girls 98(61.3%), 69(43.1%), 53(33.1%) were underweight, stunted and wasted, respectively. Anaemia was present among 144(90%) of the girls.ConclusionStrict monitoring of weekly iron and folic acid supplementation (WIFS) as well as nutrition education are essential measures to solve the problem of undernutrition among adolescent girls.

Relationship between Environment, Smoking Behavior, Education, Poverty, and Prevalence of Stunted Toddler in Indonesia: An Ecological Analysis

“…Previous studies have informed that clusters with problems with the nutritional status of children under five are often found in slum areas or flats (Ahsan et al, 2017;De Vita et al, 2019). The relationship of the percentage of the household that occupies livable houses with the prevalence of stunted toddlers applies in general, not only to the nutritional status of toddlers, including adolescents (Mohanty and Panda, 2020). Figure 5 is the scatter plot between the prevalence of stunted toddlers versus the percentage of the population who smoke in Indonesia.…”

Relationship between Environment, Smoking Behavior, Education, Poverty, and Prevalence of Stunted Toddler in Indonesia: An Ecological Analysis

“…Previous studies have informed that clusters with problems with the nutritional status of children under ve are often found in slum areas or ats (Ahsan et al, 2017;De Vita et al, 2019). The relationship of the percentage of the household that occupies livable houses with the prevalence of stunted toddlers applies in general, not only to the nutritional status of toddlers, including adolescents (Mohanty and Panda, 2020). Figure 5 is the scatter plot between the prevalence of stunted toddlers versus the percentage of the population who smoke in Indonesia.…”

The relationship between menarche and nutritional status in Junior High School students in Aceh Besar. A study from 30 years of armed conflict area, Aceh, Indonesia

“…Studies conducted in India and Pakistan have reported significantly higher rates of thinness. Mohanty and Panda (2022) reported that among 160 adolescent girls, the rate of nutritional disorders was 61,3%, of which 90% suffered from anemia. According to the researcher, this was due to the lack of awareness among young women related to limited government programs.…”