Double Burden of Malnutrition among Female Adolescent Students in Bahir Dar City, Amhara, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background. Globally, nearly a third of the population suffers from at least one form of malnutrition. Both over- and undernutrition are a growing concern in developing countries particularly among female adolescents. This study was aimed at assessing nutritional status and associated factors among female adolescents in secondary schools of Bahir Dar City, Amhara, Ethiopia, 2019. Methods. A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in secondary schools of Bahir Dar City among 682 female adolescent students in 2019. A simple random sampling technique with proportional allocation was used to select study participants. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Data were entered into Epi Info version 7.1 and analyzed by SPSS version 21. Underweight and overweight statuses of the participants were determined by using the WHO cutoff point. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify the significance of association at a 95% confidence interval. P value < 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. Results. In this study, the prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity was 15%, 8.4%, and 4.7%, respectively. Female adolescents found between age groups of 14-16.5 years old (AOR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.03-2.69), family size≥4 (AOR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.05-4.99), participants who did not eat meat once per week (AOR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.90-2.82), and no onset of menarche (AOR: 4.4, 95% CI: 1.21-15.75) were found to be more likely underweight. In addition, adolescents with family monthly income above 6500 Ethiopian birr (AOR: 12.7, 95% CI: 2.47-65.62), who ate meat two times and more per week (AOR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.47-9.14), and who ate fruit at least once a week (AOR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.05-0.78) were more likely to be overweight compared with counterparts. Conclusion and Recommendation. The prevalence of underweight and overweight was found to be high. Design evidence-based adolescent nutritional intervention shall be emphasized by the government and other concerned bodies to avert the dual burden of malnutrition.

Association Between Primary School Students’ Unhealthful Behaviors and Overweight/Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in Urban Kenya

“…The prevalence of overweight/obesity found in this study is similar to that reported in previous studies conducted among primary school children in Kenya [6,7]. The percentage of overweight/obese school children was higher than reported in Ethiopia and Tanzania, but lower than among school children in South Africa [34][35][36][37]. Overall, the median WHtR in the current study was similar to those of school children in Norway and South Africa [38,39].…”

“…The percentage of students who consumed recommended amounts of fruits was similar to that reported among adolescents in Tanzania, Malawi and the Seychelles, but higher than students in Ethiopia and adolescents in Benin, Botswana, Ghana, Mauritania, Senegal, Sudan, Swaziland and Zambia [34,35,40].…”

“…We found that students who did not consume recommended levels of fruit were signi cantly more likely to be overweight/obesity, have central obesity, and high levels of adipose tissue. A negative association between fruit intake and overweight/obesity was reported among school children in Ethiopia [34,35]. Murage et al reported a negative association between fruit and vegetable consumption and overweight or obesity among adult men in poorer urban settings in Kenya [45].…”

“…Other studies have shown that processed meats, but not unprocessed meats, are associated with poor health outcomes, including larger waist circumference, type-2 diabetes, all-cause mortality and shorter leukocyte telomeres [57][58][59][60]. In Africa speci cally, consuming meat two or more times per week was associated with higher odds of overweight/obesity among school children in Ethiopia, and an animal-driven nutrient pattern was positively associated with BMI z-scores among adolescents in South Africa [35,61]. The list of red meats examined in our study consisted mostly of processed red meats.…”

Avaliação do crescimento de crianças escolares [Assessing schoolchildren’s growth] [Evaluación del crecimiento de los niños em edad escolar]

“…Sobre o exposto, estudo realizado na Etiópia com adolescentes do sexo feminino matriculadas no ensino médio de escolas da cidade de Bahir Dar, identificou que a prevalência de baixo peso, sobrepeso e obesidade foi, respectivamente, 15%, 8,4% e 4,7%. Nesse mesmo estudo, a alta prevalência de sobrepeso e obesidade ocorreu nas escolas privadas, quando comparada com as escolas públicas 4 .…”