Assessment Of Nutritional Status And Dietary Diversity Of Adolescent Girls In Sidama Region Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Adolescence, characterized by rapid growth and development in human newlinebeings, requires additional nutrients and energy to support this growth. Paying particular newlineattention to the nutrition of adolescents, particularly girls presents a distinct chance to newlinedisrupt the ongoing cycles of malnutrition across generations. One of the most common newlinehealth concerns among teenage girls in Ethiopia is undernutrition and anaemia. In newlineEthiopia, few research studies have been conducted on these issues and their associated newlinefactors. This study assesses adolescent girls nutritional status and dietary diversity in the newlineSidama region, Ethiopia. newlineMethods and Materials: A cross-sectional study, incorporating both quantitative and newlinequalitative methods, was carried out in a school setting with 271 adolescent girls chosen newlinethrough a multistage sampling process. Data was collected through a pretested newlinequestionnaire, and a blood sample was collected. Anthropometric measurements were used newlineto calculate Z-scores, and an analysis was conducted using WHO AnthroPlus software. newlineStatistical analysis was performed with SPSS Version 22, assessing the strength of newlineassociations through odds ratios (OR) and a 95% confidence interval (CI). Variables with a newlinep-value under 0.05 were deemed statistically significant. newlineResults: The study found that the prevalence of thinness was 22.9% (95% CI: 18.1 newline28.0%), Of which overweight and obese subjects comprised 7.4% and 2.6% of the newlineparticipants, respectively. Early adolescents age (10-14), family size gt 5, and income were newlineindependent predictors of thinness among adolescent girls. Meanwhile, the prevalence of newline