Some factors related to nutritional status in students aged 15 – 17 in Gia Lai, 2022

Abstract

 Nutritional problems often mentioned in high school students are stunting, wasting, overweight and obesity. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 3468 students aged 15 - 17 in Gia Lai province in 2022 to describe some factors related to nutritional status. The results showed that students belong household economy (poor, near-poor), Mother’s education level (elementary school or less), female, have not yet reached puberty, ethnic groups (Gia Rai, Ba Na and other), boarding students, studend aged 16 - 17 increase the risk of stunting compared to Normal household economy, mothers with secondary school education or higher, men, puberty, Kinh ethnicity, non-boarding students, student aged 15. Male students, Kinh ethnicity, and non-boarding students were increased the risk of wasting compared to females, other ethnicities, and boarding students. Students who were male, lived in urban areas, mothers’s occupations (workers, public employees, business, housewives) were at increased risk of overweight or obese compared to women, in rural areas, and mothers’s occupations (fields and hired labor). Therefore, implementing activities to improve nutritional status should prioritize addressing risk factors for malnutrition and overweight and obesity in rural, ethnic and disadvantaged areas.