Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science - An open access, peer reviewed international journal covering all aspects of Nutrition and Food Science

Dietary Pattern and Nutritional Status of School-going Adolescents in Rural Areas of Bangladesh

Mohammad Shahinul Islam^1,2, Chandon Roy³, Kifayat Sadman Ishadi³, Mohammad Mejbah Uddin Mithu¹, Ebney Sunjida Abedin¹, Mohammad Shahinur karim^2,4, Mohammad Farhad Alam¹, Arif Chowdhury Apou¹, ABM Alauddin Chowdhury¹and Mahfuza Mubarak^2,3*

¹Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Public Health, Daffodil International University, Daffodil Smart City, Birulia, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

²4-Green Research Society, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

³Department of Public Health and Informatics Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

⁴Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Primeasia University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 

Corresponding Author E-mail: mahfuza@juniv.edu

Adolescence is a critical phase marked by rapid physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development. This study investigated the dietary patterns and health status of school-going adolescents in semi-urban areas of randomly selected areas of Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study involving 378 participants. Data on socio-demographics, meal consumption patterns, food item frequencies, stunting, and BMI distribution were collected and analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Socio-demographic analysis revealed diversity with variations in gender, age, parent's income, and occupation. Food consumption patterns indicated a preference for traditional three meals a day (64.3%). Moreover, daily dietary practice showed that 23.0%, 19.6%, and 6.0% of adolescents in rural areas do not intake fruit, chicken/fish, and vegetables, respectively, at least once a day, while 26% of participants consume fast food regularly. Therefore, BMI analysis showed 37.3% were overweight. Stunting prevalence was 36.0%, with 2.9% severely stunted. Significant associations were found between stunting severity and BMI categories (p < 0.001), gender (p = 0.003), and parents’ monthly income (p < 0.001). Gender showed a strong association with BMI categories (p < 0.001), indicating nutritional variations, while age did not exhibit a significant association with BMI of adolescent. In conclusion, the study highlighted complex associations between stunting severity, BMI categories, class levels, and gender among rural adolescents in Bangladesh. Interventions to promote regular balanced diet consumption among school-going children are very important to address nutritional disparities and promote holistic adolescent health in the rural areas of Bangladesh.

Adolescents health; BMI; Fast-foods; Nutritional status in Bangladesh; Stunting

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