Kamal Chaulagain
Kirtipur, Tribhuvan University, NepalTitle : Prevalence and Associated Factors of Stunting and Thinness among School Adolescents Living in a Municipality of Nepal
Abstract
Adolescence is a critical period
of the life cycle with a continuum of physical, behavioral, cognitive, and
psychosocial changes. This is the stage when adolescent boys and girls
undergo physical growth, sexual and reproductive maturation along with cognitive
transformations. All these transformations necessitate highest nutrient intake.
But unfortunately, many adolescents lack the required nutrition resulting in
many nutritional deficiencies. The macronutrient deficiencies are observed
among the adolescents. Stunting and thinness remain the most common nutritional
problems in various parts of the world. However, the utmost burden is in
developing countries with the highest number of adolescents being affected with
under nutrition. Given this scenario, there is little evidence on factors
associated with under nutrition among adolescents in Nepal. This study
therefore aimed to identify the factors associated with stunting and
thinness. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was carried
out among school adolescents in a municipality of Nepal. A random sample of 558
school adolescents aged 10-19 years from nine schools was included in the
study. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used for data
collection. The physical measurement of the height and weight were
measured as per the standard. Descriptive statistics were carried
out. Variables were considered for multivariable logistic regression if a
P-value was ?0.25 during bivariate logistic regression. The odds
ratio with a 95% CI was calculated and a P-value of ?0.05
was considered to declare the statistical significance of variables after
fitting into the multivariable logistic regression. Results: The overall
prevalence of stunting and thinness was 17.20% (95% CI: 14.06, 20.34) and 4.48%
(95% CI: 2.75, 6.20) respectively. The mean age of respondents was 12.5 years.
The middle adolescents were 2 (AOR: 1.86, 95% CI: 1.03, 3.38) times and late
adolescents were 3 (AOR: 3.65, 95% CI: 1.52, 3.38) times more likely to develop
stunting as compared to early adolescents. Similarly, adolescents
studying at private schools were 0.5 (AOR 0.58, 95% CI 0.30 to 1.11) times less
likely to get stunted as compared to their counter parts. Adolescents
living with more than four family members were 4 (AOR: 4.35, 95% CI: 1.27,
14.90) times thinner than the adolescents staying with less than four family
members. Conclusion: Adolescents in urban areas still face the problem of under
nutrition in particular stunting and thinness. It is therefore pertinent
to emphasize on the improvement of
the healthy eating behaviors and practices of the adolescents
in order to improve their nutritional status.
Biography
Kamal Chaulagain has completed
his MPH at the age of 28 years from Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Nepal. He
has also completed MA Sociology from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He is working
as Health Emergency and Surveillance Technical Officer at Save the Children,
Nepal.