Abstract:
Introduction:- Nutrition is an important component of comprehensive care for human beings specially adolescents, since it is a period of rapid growth and maturation in human development that demands extra nutrients and energy to support growth. Focusing on adolescents’ nutrition provides a unique opportunity to break the intergenerational cycles of malnutrition.
Objective: - To assess the magnitude and factors of stunting and thinness among adolescent girls in rural schools of Woldia town, Northeast Ethiopia.
Methods: - A school based Cross-sectional study design was conducted among 365 adolescent school girls from February 25/2021 to March 20/2021 in rural schools of woldia town. Simple random sampling technique was employed to select the study participants. Structured questionnaire was used to gather the necessary data from the respondents. Data were entered to EPI-INFO version 7.2.4.0 and analysis was made by using SPSS version 21 software. Anthropometric measurements were converted to height-for-age z-scores and body mass indexfor-age z-scores using WHO Anthro-plus software. The nutritional status of the study subjects was classified as stunted (height-for age z- scores < -2) and thin (body mass index-for-age zscores < -2). Both bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify factors associated with stunting and thinness. Results: - The mean age of the study participant was 12.79 years (12.79 ±1.65 SD). The overall prevalence of stunting and thinness among adolescent girls in rural schools of woldia town were 21.2% and 17.7% at 95% CI respectively. Multivariable logistic regression indicated that age (early adolescents) [AOR= 3.13; 95% CI (1.33, 7.38)], poor dietary diversity score (≤3 food groups) [AOR= 2.28; 95% CI (1.26, 4.13)] and family sizes >5 [AOR= 1.74; 95% CI (1.04, 3.03)] were significantly associated factors with stunting. Age (early adolescents) [AOR= 1.97; 95% CI (1.02, 3.83)] and family sizes >5 [AOR= 2.00; 95% CI (1.14, 3.53)] were significantly associated factors with thinness.
Conclusion and recommendations: Stunting and thinness were medium and highly prevalent in early adolescent school girls respectively as compared to WHO classification- tree of malnutrition. Age of the adolescent girls, family size and individual dietary diversity score were significantly associated factors with stunting among the respondents. Age of the adolescent girls and family size were significantly associated factors with thinness among study subjects. Nutritional interventions should focus on adolescent school girls especially for early adolescents.