Comparison of Nutritional Status of Adolescent Girls in Nutrition Intervention and Non- Intervention Area

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Background: Adolescence is growing period when requirements for all nutrients increase. Hence, it is essential to improve nutritional status through nutrition interventions. Addressing the nutritional needs of adolescents could be an important step towards breaking the vicious cycle of intergenerational malnutrition. Objective: To assess and compare nutritional status of adolescent school girls in nutritional intervention and non-intervention area. Methods: A cross-sectional analytic study was conducted at Laxmipur sadar upazila as nutrition intervention area & neighboring Chatkhil upazila as non–nutrition intervention area. A total of 367 adolescent girls of age 10-19 years were selected purposively of them 177 and 190 were selected from intervention and non-intervention area respectively. Anthropometric data of the study subjects were collected by using standard techniques. Body mass index (BMI) and anemia were classified according to WHO cut off levels. Food intake pattern was observed by using seven days food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Results: The mean age(±SD) years of adolescent girls was 14.29±0.97 (yrs) in intervention and 14.55±1.23 (yrs) in non-intervention area. .Among the adolescents, the proportion of under nutrition was significantly higher in the non-intervention area compare to intervention area (64% vs 47.5%, p<0.001). In the intervention area about 46% girls had normal BMI where as in the non-intervention area only 27% girls had normal BMI. The percentage of overweight was similar in both the areas. Anemia was significantly higher in non-intervention area (p<0.001). Highly significant association was found between father education and mother occupation with BMI (p=0.047) and (p=0.001) in intervention area. Strong significant association was found between education and occupation of mother with BMI (p=0.001) in non-intervention area. Conclusion: This study concludes that nutritional status was better in nutrition intervention area than non-intervention area so community-based nutrition intervention is effective for better nutritional status of adolescent girls.