NUTRITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AT HARAMAYA DISTRICT, EASTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Background: Nutritional knowledge is important because it helps battle malnutrition. A lack of knowledge regarding nutrition and unhealthy eating habits are linked to inadequate and unbalanced nutrition in adolescence. Unhealthy eating practices of adolescents may lead to health problems such as iron deficiency, eating disorders, obesity, under nutrition, and dental caries. Many studies that were conducted in Ethiopia have been only focused on nutritional status and associated factors. However, there is limited school- based studies on nutritional knowledge and associated factors. Furthermore, as far as researcher’s knowledge concerned there is no single study that was conducted particularly in the study area. Objective: To assess Nutritional knowledge and associated factors among secondary school students in Haramaya District, Eastern Ethiopia, from October 11 to 31, 2022. Method: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 417 random selected students in Haramaya District eastern Ethiopia. Data were entered using Epi Data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 21 software. Descriptive statistics were conducted to describe the participants. Both Bivariable and Multivariable logistic regression analyses was performed to identify factors associated with nutritional knowledge. Statistical significance was declared at p-value < 0.05. Results: A total of 417 students were interviewed, with a response rate of 100%. The overall median nutritional knowledge among students was 58 with an interquartile range of (IQR= 44, 66) and 195 (46.76% [(95%CI: 42, 51.59)]) had good nutritional knowledge. Being female [AOR=1.77, 95% CI (1.03, 3.04)], and senior secondary students [AOR=3.3, 95% CI (1.95, 5.73)] Conclusion: The findings of our study highlighted the considerable nutritional knowledge among high school students. Nutritional knowledge of secondary school students differed in terms of sex, and level of education and the findings emphasize that targeted interventions on nutritional knowledge should be needed to improve nutrition literacy for student’s good health.