Optimal dietary practices and nutritional knowledge of school adolescent girls in Jimma Town, South West Ethiopia

Abstract

Addressing the nutritional problems of adolescent girls is important as their nutritional status has a negative effect on the future generation. This study aimed to assess the optimal dietary practices and nutritional knowledge of school adolescent girls in Jimma Zone, South-west Ethiopia. School-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 455 school adolescent girls. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent variables. Majority (61.3%) of students had dietary diversity score less than five and their mean (±SD) dietary diversity score was 4.34 ± 1.41. The majority (55.8%) of adolescent girls had a good knowledge score about nutrition related information which they earned from the school (86.6%). Low dietary diversity of school adolescent girls was positively associated with attending government schools, lack of maternal education and low-economic status. Therefore, both government and non-government organizations need to focus on school and community based nutrition intervention to address the low dietary diversity of school girl adolescents.

Keywords

• Adolescent
• dietary diversity
• nutritional knowledge
• dietary practices