Nutritional Status of Adolescent Females in Estates in Haliela, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Nutrition indictors in estate sector in Sri Lanka are low. This study estimated prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors among 13- to 16-year-old females in estates of Haliela in Sri Lanka. In a community-based study, 524 adolescents were assessed for height and weight, and information related to associated factors was obtained through an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Prevalence of undernutrition was 39.1% (95% confidence interval = 34.9% to 43.3%). It showed a decreasing trend with increasing age. Among sociodemographic, sanitary/hygienic and diet/food-related factors, multivariate analysis showed that low socioeconomic strata (odds ratio [OR] = 35.0), low dietary diversity (OR = 1.6), food purchase at each meal/daily (OR = 2.1), and “poor” food availability (OR = 6.6), were associated with adolescent undernutrition. Undernutrition among female adolescents in estates is a public health problem. Improving availability of food to estate adolescent females through targeted programs and reducing poverty among estate dwellers are recommended to overcome the problem. © 2011, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.