Anthropometric Variables and Nutritional Status of Adolescent School Girls in a Food Insecure Rural Area of Bangladesh
Keywords:
Anthropometry - Variable - Nutritional status - Adolescent.Abstract
Introduction
This study estimated the anthropometric variables and nutritional status of rural adolescent school girls of food insecure Bera subdistrict of Pabna district in Bangladesh.
Methods
The cross sectional study was carried out in rural adolescent school girls of 21 governments approved high schools of Bera sudistrict of Pabna district, Bangladesh. Anthropometric and socio-demographic information from 2,196 adolescent girls were collected during 2011-2012 academic session. Height and weight were measured using standard procedure and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated. BMI was compared to the 2007 WHO growth reference. Height- for-age (HAZ), weight-for-age (WAZ) and BMI-for-age (BMIZ) were used to evaluate stunting, underweight and thinness respectively, based on the National Centre of Heath Statistics (NCHS) < - 2 Z score values. Classification of severity of malnutrition was done based on WHO recommendation. Mean BMI-for-age were less than those of 2007 WHO growth reference for girls at all ages.
Results
The overall rate of stunting, underweight and thinness was 33.13%, 28.06% and 17.92% respectively. Based on WHO classification of severity of malnutrition, the overall prevalence of stunting was high (30-39%), whereas those of underweight 20-29% was high.
Conclusions
This study concludes that poor anthropometric variables and nutritional status among the adolescents indicated a major public health problem in food insecure rural areas of Bangladesh. An intensive and comprehensive approach is required to improve the nutritional status of rural adolescent girls of Bangladesh.
Â
References
Spear BA. Adolescent growth and development. J Am Diet Assoc. 2002; 102:S23–9.
Rogol AD, Clark PA, Roemmich JN. Growth and pubertal development in children and adolescents: effects of diet and physical activity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000; 72:S521–8.
Riley AP, Huffman SL, Chowdhury AKM. Age at menarche and postmenarcheal growth in rural Bangladeshi females. Annual Report, 1989: 16:347–59.
Lohman, TG. Roche, AF. and Martorell, R. 1988.Anthropometric standardization reference manual. Chicago: Human kinetics books, p: 3â€80.
World Health Organization. 1995. Physical Status: the use and interpretation of anthropometry: Technical report series no.854. Geneva: World Health Organization.
Kurz KM. Adolescent nutritional status in developing countries. Proc Nutr Soc 1996; 55:32131.
Ahmed T, Roy SK, Alam N, Ahmed AMS, Ara G, Bhuiya AU et al. Baseline survey 2004 of the National Nutritional Programme: report / editors: M. Shamsul Islam Khan, Tahmeed Ahmed, and S.K. Roy. Dhaka: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, 2005. 319 p. (ICDDR, B special publica-tion no. 124).
Ahmed F, Khan MR, Islam M, Kabir I, Fuchs GJ. Anaemia and iron deficiency among adolescent schoolgirls in peri-urban Bangladesh. Eur J Clin Nutr 2000; 54:678-83.
Helen Keller International, Bangladesh. Vitamin A status throughout the lifecycle in rural Bangladesh: national vitamin A survey, 1997-98. Dhaka: Helen Keller International, Bangladesh, 1999. 20 p.
Ahmed F, Zareen M, Khan MR, Banu CP, Haq MN, Jackson AA. Dietary pattern, nutrient intake and growth of adolescent school girls in urban Bangla¬desh. Public Health Nutr 1998; 1:8392.
Venkaiah, K., Damayanti, K., Nayak, MU. And Vijayaraghavan, K. 2002. Diet and nutritional status of rural adolescents in India. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr., 56: 1119–1125.
Rao, S. 2001. Nutritional status of Indian population. J. Biosci., 26:481-489.
Bangladesh educational statistics 2006. Dhaka: Ban¬gladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics, 2006. 124 p.
Kurz KM, Johnson-Welch C. The nutrition and lives of girls in developing countries: findings from the nutrition of adolescent girls research program. Wash¬ington, DC: International Center for Research on Women, 1994.
FAO/WHO/UNU. Energy and Protein requirements. WHO Technical Report Series No. 724. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2005.
Jahan K, Hossain M. Nature and extent of malnutrition in Bangladesh. Bangladesh National Nutrition Survey, 1995-96. Dhaka, Bangladesh: Institute Nutrition and Food Science, University of Dhaka, 1998.
