Prevalence and Associated Factors of Thinness among Adolescent Students in Finote Selam Town, Northwest Ethiopia.

Damitie Kebede Mengesha,Degnet Teferi Asres,Reddy P C J Prasad

doi:10.1155/2020/9170301

Damitie Kebede Mengesha, Degnet Teferi Asres + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9170301

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Journal: TheScientificWorldJournal	Publication Date: Jun 2, 2020
Citations: 10	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Bahir Dar University

Abstract

Even if adolescence is a window of opportunity to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition, adolescents are the neglected age groups. Hence, information regarding the nutritional status of adolescents is lacking, making creating and implementing intervention programs difficult. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and determinants of thinness among school adolescents in Finote Selam Town, Northwest Ethiopia. A school-based cross-sectional study among adolescent students aged 10–19 in public primary and secondary schools was carried out in Finote Selam Town from February 05 to March 27, 2018. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were employed to select study subjects. A total of 397 adolescent students were included in the study. Pretested structured questionnaires were used to collect the data. Data were entered using Epi Info version 7 and analyzed using SPSS version 20 and WHO AnthroPlus software. A multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with thinness. Crude and adjusted odds ratios with 95% level significance were used to measure the strength of association, and statistical significance was declared at p value less than 0.05. The prevalence of thinness among adolescents was 14.9%. Early adolescent stage (AOR = 4.81; 95% CI : 1.23, 18.51), being male adolescent students (AOR = 2.33; 95% CI : 1.60, 3.40), having less than 1000 birr family monthly income (AOR = 6.54; 95% CI : 3 : 82, 14.89), having 1000–2000 birr family monthly income (AOR = 3.47; 95% CI : 1.15, 7.45), and using well water (AOR = 3.82; 95% CI : 1.46, 10.04) were significantly associated with thinness at 95% confidence interval. The study revealed that prevalence of thinness was high in the study area. Sex, place of residence, and family monthly income were found to be important factors associated with thinness among the respondents.

Highlights

Both the United Nations WHO (UN) and WHO define adolescence as a segment of population group age from 10 to 19 years old; it is a transition period from childhood to adulthood and has intense physical, psychosocial, and cognitive development [1]
From a total of 397 adolescent students who were selected as a sample, with 100% response rate, all study participants were involved in this study
The prevalence of thinness and associated factors in Finote Selam Town, Northwest Ethiopia, was assessed. e prevalence of thinness was 14.9%, and this finding was lower than the studies in Mekelle City (37.8%) [15], Ambo City (27.5%) [22], Wukro District (26.1%) [16], and Seychelles (27.7%) [23]

Summary

Introduction

Both the UN and WHO define adolescence as a segment of population group age from 10 to 19 years old; it is a transition period from childhood to adulthood and has intense physical, psychosocial, and cognitive development [1]. During this period, the final growth spurt occurs; early adolescence after the first year of life is the critical period of rapid physical growth and changes in body composition, physiology, and endocrine [2]. In Ethiopia, e Scientific World Journal children and adolescents constitute about 48% of Ethiopian population, and about 25% of the Ethiopian populations are adolescents, but studies among this age group were insufficient [9]

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