Assessment of Dietary Diversity and Sociodemographic Factors in Adolescent Girls and Boys in Urban Slums of Bangladesh

Abstract

Introduction: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adolescents are individuals aged between 10 and 19 years. Currently, there are 1.2 billion adolescents on Earth. However, information on adolescent nutritional status and dietary diversity in the urban slums of Bangladesh is limited. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate adolescents' dietary diversity and nutritional status, as well as the factors that are associated, in the urban slums of Bangladesh. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 772 adolescent girls and boys aged 11–19 years residing in the urban slums of Bangladesh from January 2022 to March 2022. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data about their diet, sociodemographic variables, and anthropometric characteristics. To determine the nutritional status of the study participants, BMI-for-age (z score) was measured by WHO AnthroPlus software. The individual dietary diversity score was calculated using the Food and Agricultural Organization's 2011 guidelines. Results: The findings of the survey revealed that 11.1%, 66.2%, and 22.7% of the adolescents were thin, healthy, and overweight, respectively. The outcomes of the Individual Dietary Diversity Score indicated that 40.9% of the adolescents did not have an adequate variety of foods in their diets, while 59.1% of the adolescents did have adequate variety. At the secondary level, (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.038, 95% confidence interval CI = (1.031-2.828); education (AOR= 0.000, CI= 0.264-0.569); occupations such as day laborers, rickettsial pullers, and others; (AOR=0.000, CI=1.919-6.054); (AOR= 0.000, CI=1.584-5.070); and (AOR= 0.000, CI=1.789-5.087). Additionally, mothers' education (primary level, (AOR=0.029, CI=0.457-0.958), families' comparatively higher monthly income (AOR=0.000, CI=3.805-14.587) and nonsmoking history (AOR=0.000, CI=0.150-0.750) were significantly associated with adequate dietary diversity among study participants (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the dietary diversity of adolescent girls and boys in the urban slum region of Bangladesh was adequate, and most of them were of normal weight according to their BMI-for-age (z score). However, it is preferable to design a nutritional intervention program that promotes nutritional education to encourage adolescents to eat a wide variety of meals.