Background: Malnutrition is a major health issue affecting children, women and adolescents globally and developing countries in particular. Adolescence is a time of enormous physiological, cognitive, and psychosocial change but it remain a neglected, difficult-to-measure and hard-to-reach population. The critical role of adolescent nutrition in the intergenerational cycle of Growth failure has not been well addressed in Ethiopia. Hence, this study assesses level of low BMI-for-age and height-for-age and their associated factors among adolescent girls in northwest Ethiopia. Methods: Community based cross-sectional quantitative study was employed. A total of 1281 adolescent girls were included in the study. Multistage cluster sampling method was used. Pretested questionnaire were used to collect the data. The collected data were entered in to Epi Info version 3.5.3 and exported to SPSS version 20.0 software packages for further statistical analysis. The data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression. The degree of association between dependent and independent variables were assessed using odds ratio with 95 % confidence interval and variables with p-value ≤0.05 were considered significant. Result: The prevalence of girls with BMI-for-age Z-score < −2 were 13.6 % and height-for-age Z-score < −2 were 31.5 %. Being in the age group 10-14 years (AOR = 5.83, 95 % CI: 3.26, 10.44), being in the age group 15-17 years (AOR = 2.06, 95 % CI: 1.09, 3.89), with poor dietary diversity score (AOR = 2.48, 95 % CI: 1.60, 3.84), utilizing community based nutrition service (AOR = 0.67, 95 % CI: 0.47, 0.95) were factors significantly associated with thinness in adolescent girls. Being on the age group 10-14 years (AOR = 6.07, 95 % CI: 4.00,9.22), being on the age group 15-17(AOR = 1.39, 95 % CI: 1.93, 2.09), had nutrition and health information(AOR = 1.94, 95 % CI: 1.46, 2.57), living in food secured households (AOR:0.65, 95 % CI: 0.50, 0.84) were factors affecting low height-for-age in study subjects. Conclusion: Finding of this study indicated that prevalence of adolescents with low BMI-for-age and low height-for-age Z-score < −2 were high. Age, dietary diversity score and community based nutrition service utilization were factors affecting low BMI-for-Age in adolescent girls. Age, food insecurity and Nutrition and health information were factors affecting low height-for-age in adolescent girls. Improving community based nutrition service utilization, food security specially in young adolescents is highly recommended.

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ObjectiveAdolescence represents a critical stage of life, characterized by rapid physical growth and development; varying levels of physical, social and psychological maturity; and a transition from total socio-economic dependence to relative independence. Focusing on adolescents’ nutrition, especially girls, provides a unique opportunity to break the intergenerational cycles of malnutrition. But, there is little information about the dietary diversity of adolescent girls in Dabat district. Therefore, the survey aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of dietary diversity among adolescent girls.ResultsThe overall prevalence of adequate dietary diversity among adolescent girls was 14.5 (95% CI 12.9, 16.2). The prevalence of adequate dietary diversity among adolescent girls was very low and food insecurity is one of the predisposing factors for low dietary diversity. Therefore, working to enhance household’s food security status is recommended to boost dietary diversification of adolescent’s girls.

BackgroundImproving infant and young child feeding practices is critical to improved nutrition, health, and development of children. Ethiopia adopted the WHO recommendations of child feeding practices and developed the national guideline. In spite of this fact, only few children start and received appropriate complementary feeding based on the recommendation. Therefore, the study aimed to determine dietary diversity score and its associated factors among under five children at Dabat Health and Demographic Surveillance System site (HDSS), northwest Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional community based study was carried out from February to June 2016. All children aged 6–59 months old who lived in HDSS site were included in the survey. Odds ratio (OR) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated to show the strength of association. Finally, variables with a P-value of < 0.05 were considered statistically significant..ResultsIn this study, a total of 3433 children were included. About 34.87% (95%CI: 33.27, 36.49%) of the children received adequately diversified diet. The odds of receiving adequately diversified diet was higher among children whose mother had secondary and above education (AOR = 6.51; 95%CI: 4.95, 8.56), had antenatal care (AOR = 1.90; 95%CI: 1.60, 2.26) and postnatal care visits (AOR = 1.31; 95%CI: 1.00, 1, 72), and children who feed with their family (AOR = 1.39; 95%CI: 1.17, 1.65). However, a lower dietary diversity score was observed among younger children; 6–11 months old (AOR = 0.59; 95%CI: 0.41, 0.85), and children from food insecure household (AOR = 0.76; 95%CI: 0.63, 0.92).ConclusionsDiversified diet feeding practice is low in Dabat HDSS site. Age of the child, maternal education, antenatal and postnatal care visits, and household food insecurity were significantly associated with dietary diversity of children. Hence, ensuring household food security and enhancing the coverage of maternal health care utilization are recommended to increase dietary diversity of children.

Background: Optimal feeding practices are recommended to improve nutritional status and prevent the common childhood illnesses. Studies on the feeding practice of children including meal frequency and dietary diversity are scarce in children with illness. Therefore, we aimed to assess feeding practice and its associated factors among children aged 6-59 months in Dabat Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) site, northwest Ethiopia. Methods : A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in Dabat HDSS site from February to June 2016 on 1,174 mother-child pairs. A multistage stratified sampling followed by a systematic random sampling technique was employed to select the study participants. A binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with children’s feeding practice. A crude odds ratio and adjusted odds ratio with its 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to see the strength of association and significance of the identified factors with feeding practices. Result: The overall prevalence of a minimum dietary diversity practice and a minimum meal frequency was 27 % (95%CI: 24.4, 29.7) and 83.7 %( 95%CI: 91.7, 86.0), respectively. Having antenatal care (ANC) service (AOR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.18, 2.27) and institutional delivery (AOR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.85, 3.55) increased odds of an adequate dietary diversity in children. On the contrary, the odds of practicing an adequate dietary diversity was lower among a household obtained food from home gardens (AOR = 0.4; 95% CI: 0.29, 0.52) and currently breast fed children (AOR = 0.6; 95% CI: 0.42, 0.78). The probability of having a minimum meal frequency was decreased among children in the first two years of age (AOR = 0.1; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.15), however increased in children who fed alone (AOR = 1.9; 95% CI: 1.29, 2.69). Conclusion: The proportion of children who received the minimum dietary diversity was low while the proportion of children who obtained minimum meal frequency was good. Providing a health and nutrition counseling on Infant and Young Child Feeding during maternal ANC services and delivery period are recommended for achieving the recommended dietary practices.