Abstract:
Abstract
Background: Poor nutritional status of adolescent girls has a negative effect on the next generation as undernourished
adolescents enter pregnancy with poor nutrient reserve. However, there is scarcity of evidence showing the burden of
stunting among adolescent girls in Ethiopia. Therefore, the objective of this study aimed to assess prevalence of stunting
and associated factors among school adolescent girls in Gondar City Administration, northwest Ethiopia.
Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April, 2017. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to
select812 school adolescent girls. World Health Organization Anthro-plus software was used to analyze anthropometric
data into Height for Age Z-score. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to identify the factors
associated with stunting. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval was used to show the strength of
association, while a P-value< 0.05 of was used to declare the significance of association.
Results: The overall prevalence of stunting among adolescent girls was 33.1% (95% CI: 29.9, 36.5). Middle age of
adolescence (AOR = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.15, 0.34), unsatisfactory media exposure (AOR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.84) and poor
mother’s education (AOR = 2.84, 95% CI: 1.07, 7.94) were significantly associated with stunting.
Conclusions: One-third of adolescent girls are stunted in Gondar City which suggests the serious public health
importance of the problem. Enhancing mother’s education and media exposure are critical to address the
high burden of stunting
