Nutritional status of adolescents in Bangladesh: Comparison of severe thinness status of a low–income family's adolescents between urban and rural Bangladesh

INTRODUCTION: This study estimated the nutritional as well as the severe thinness status (according to the World Health Organization [WHO]) of a low-income family's adolescent girl and also their early age of life in both urban and rural adolescent girls in Bangladesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study measured the height, weight and muac by standard procedure for calculating the body mass index according to the WHO reference. A 2-days, 24-h food recall and food frequency questionnaire was used to estimate the food frequency, energy intake, protein and carbohydrate. A multistage, multiphase stratified cluster sampling was used to select the study population from two locations in Bangladesh: Dhaka city and the east region of Trishal (district of Mymensingh). The study subjects were low-income families’ adolescent girls (n = 214) aged 14–17 years. The two groups contained an equal number of respondents (n=107/group). RESULTS: Results revealed that economic status had a significant effect on nutritional status. Nutritional status of low-income families’ adolescent were low both in urban and rural adolescents, but severe thinness rate according to the WHO of urban (22.4%) adolescents was much higher than rural (10.3%) adolescents (chi-square = 4.9 and P-value = 0.01), and was also higher at an earlier age of their life. In food intake distribution and food consumption status, the same results were seen. The percentage of never eat meat and fish of low-income families adolescent girls were (29.7%, 11.4%) in urban group and (24.4%, 6.8%) in rural group. The main food rice consumption of urban adolescents was also about half that of rural adolescents per day. The study also shows that intake of energy, protein, carbohydrate and fat were significantly different between urban and rural girls. Only 53% energy was covered of the recommended daily energy intake in urban adolescents. CONCLUSION: Based on the food recall and anthropometric results, we conclude that malnutrition is common in low-income family's adolescents, and the severe thinness rate is much higher in urban than in rural adolescents, as also their early age of life in both low-income family's adolescents girls in Bangladesh.