Original Research Article
Year: 2021 | Month: March | Volume: 11 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 21-29
Dietary Patterns and Associated Factors among Adolescents in Pokhara Metropolitan, Nepal
Sarmila Baral1, Shreejana Wagle2, Tulsi Ram Bhandari3
1MPH student, School of Health and Allied Sciences, Pokhara University, Nepal
2Assistant Professor, School of Health and Allied Sciences, Pokhara University, Nepal
3Associate Professor, School of Health and Allied Sciences, Pokhara University, Nepal
Corresponding Author: Sarmila Baral
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Adolescence is a transitional phase of rapid physical growth, psychological development, and social changes. Sustainable healthy diet and healthy eating practices can address nutritional deficiencies and the risk of non-communicable diseases. This study assessed dietary patterns and their associated factors among school-going adolescents in Pokhara, Nepal.
Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2019 to April 2020 with a sample of 445 adolescents in Pokhara Metropolitan, Nepal. We applied systematic sampling and lottery methods to select wards of the Metropolitan and schools respectively. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information and performed principal component analysis (PCA) to identify the dietary patterns. We further used chi-square and logistic regression to assess the associated factors of dietary patterns.
Results: We identified three factors: healthy, junk, and traditional dietary patterns which explained 28.23% of the total variability of data. Healthy dietary pattern (50.33%) was associated with BMI (AOR=2.302, 95% CI=1.303-4.066), physically active days (AOR=2.302, 95% CI=1.303-4.066,) and fruit/vegetable plants at home (AOR=1.760, 95%CI=1.408-2.955). Junk food pattern (40.22%) was associated with gender (AOR=2.272, 95% CI=1.455-3.549), ever drink (AOR=2.626, 95%CI=1.216-5.672), screen-time (AOR=1.701, 95% CI=1.112-2.602), walking-time (AOR=1.636, 95%CI=1.035-2.588) and daily pocket-money (p=0.002). Gender (AOR=1.699, 95%CI=1.141-2.529) and midday meal-type (AOR=1.727, 95%CI=1.070-2.789) were associated with the traditional food pattern (57.33%).
Conclusions: Adolescents followed the healthy, junk and traditional dietary pattern. The dietary patterns we found to be associated with socio-economic, behavioural and environmental factors. School-based knowledge and practice level interventions would be the way out of the problems.
Key words: Adolescents; dietary patterns; food consumption; principal components analysis.