Nutritional Status of Adolescents in Eastern Sudan: A Cross-Sectional Community-Based Study

Abstract

Background: Malnutrition among adolescents is a major public health issue. This problem is particularly pressing in Sudan, an African country where there is scarce published data on the nutritional status of adolescents. In this study, we aimed to assess the nutritional status of adolescents in eastern Sudan. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional survey was carried out in Gadarif, eastern Sudan. A questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data, and the anthropometric measurements (weight and height) of adolescent participants were recorded. Height-for-age and body mass index-for-age Z-scores were calculated using the WHO anthropometric standards. Binary and multivariate multinomial regression analyses were performed. Results: A total of 388 adolescents were included in this survey, 207 (53.4%) were female, and 181 (46.6%) were male. The median (interquartile) age was 13.9 (12.0–16.0) years. The results showed that a total of 29 (7.5%), 93 (24.0%), 33 (8.5%), and 16 (4.1%) adolescents were stunted, thin, overweight, and obese, respectively. None of the investigated factors (age, sex, parents’ education levels, and occupation) were associated with stunting. In the multivariate multinomial analysis, the male sex was associated with thinness (OR = 2.41, 95.0% CI = 1.47–3.94). Moreover, adolescents whose mothers had an education lower than secondary level were at a lower risk of overweight/obesity (OR = 0. 0.35, 95.0% CI = 0. 0.35). Conclusions: While both undernutrition and overnutrition exist in eastern Sudan, undernutrition is more common. Male sex and mothers’ education levels are associated with malnutrition.