Nutritional Status of Adolescent Schoolchildren In South East Nigeria

Background and Objective: Adolescent malnutrition is still prevalent worldwide. The scanty information in this area, especially in developing countries, hinders the development of appropriate nutrition programs for the adolescents. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the nutritional status of adolescents in South East Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Six public and six private schools were selected and a sample of 647 adolescents aged 10-19 years was examined. Anthropometric, hemoglobin and serum retinol measurements were determined on a sub-sample (n = 174). A questionnaire was used to collect demographic data. Chi-square and independent t-test were used to compare means. Results: The mean age of the adolescents was 14.2±1.2 years. About 40% of the adolescents were both anemic and vitamin A deficient, 39.6% had vitamin A deficiency while 40.3% were anemic and 57% had multiple malnutrition indicators. The prevalence of stunting was 9.1% and that of thinness, 14.4%. The prevalence of anemia and vitamin A deficiency was significantly (p<0.05) higher in public than private schools. Overweight/obesity was low (3.1%) in private schools. Conversely, urban schools had significantly (p<0.05) higher overweight/obesity than rural communities. Thinness and stunting were significantly (p<0.05 higher in rural than urban schools. About 13.6% of the adolescents had one or two nutritional indicators. Conclusion: The study revealed that malnutrition was prevalent in South East Nigeria amongst adolescents. This makes nutrition education and intervention imperative in the region.