Nutritional status and associated factors among school adolescent in Chiro Town, West Hararge, Ethiopia

Abstract

Adolescence is the period of intense physical, psychosocial and cognitive development and the second to infancy at which highest rate of physical growth occur. So Adolescent need to have good quantity and quality nutrient to cope with this rapid growth and other health risk which increase nutritional demand. The aim of this study was to assess nutritional status and associated factors among school adolescents in chiro town.Cross-sectional study was employed from November 04- 13, 2013. Trained nurses took anthropometric measurement weight and height. Data was entered to Epi data and was analyzed using SPSS. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify predicators of nutritional status of adolescents by controlling the effect of possible confounders. Of 319 selected samples, 291(91.2%) were participated in the study. Sociodemographic factors like being early adolescents (10-14 years) [AOR=2.06, CI= 1.02, 4.16], male [AOR= 3.91 CI=1.7, 8.98], chewingkhat [AOR=2.45 CI=1.07, 5.64], having fathers with no formal education [AOR=8.52 CI=2.055, 35.36] were assocaited with being underweight. While sometimes hand washing after toilet [AOR= 3.24 CI= 1.01, 10.37] was found to be predictor of stunting. Prevalence of underweight was high among adolescents but the prevalence of stunting was low. Nutrition education, adolescents’ body change awareness, education and risk of khat chewing and further research on stunting of adolescents should be done to improve adolescents’ nutrition.