TY - JOUR
T1 - Diet quality, school attendance, and body weight status in adolescent girls in rural Guatemala
AU - Chacón, Violeta
AU - Liu, Qinran
AU - Park, Yikyung
AU - Rohloff, Peter
AU - Barnoya, Joaquin
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Marta Julia Quiná and Lilian Carolina Ajú Batz for exceptional recruitment and data collection. We also acknowledge the contribution of Luisa Madrigal to study design and data collection. This study is supported by the New York Academy of Sciences.
Funding Information:
We thank Marta Julia Quin? and Lilian Carolina Aj? Batz for exceptional recruitment and data collection. We also acknowledge the contribution of Luisa Madrigal to study design and data collection. This study is supported by the New York Academy of Sciences.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 New York Academy of Sciences.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - A cluster of factors affects nutritional status among adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We investigated the association between school attendance and diet quality among 498 rural adolescent girls (352 attending and 146 not attending school) in Tecpán, Guatemala. In a cross-sectional study, we collected sociodemographic and anthropometric data and characterized the dietary intake using a Food Frequency Questionnaire. We then calculated diet quality using the Healthy Eating Score (HES). Multiple linear regression models were conducted to evaluate the effects of school attendance on diet quality. We found that the overall diet quality among the study participants was poor, according to the HES. However, those who attended school had significantly higher intakes of vitamin A–rich fruits and vegetables (P = 0.04), other fruits (P = 0.01), and milk and milk products (P = 0.004), but a higher intake of fast foods, chips, and saturated fatty acids (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the effects of school attendance on diet quality were significant after adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors (β coefficient = −1.70, 95% CI: −3.30 to −0.11) but was attenuated when further adjusted for weight status (β coefficient = −1.58, 95% CI: −3.17 to 0.02). Our findings suggest that diet quality among girls in rural Guatemala is poor, particularly among those who do not attend school. To advance our understanding of adolescent diet in LMICs, future studies should include adolescents who are out of school.
AB - A cluster of factors affects nutritional status among adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We investigated the association between school attendance and diet quality among 498 rural adolescent girls (352 attending and 146 not attending school) in Tecpán, Guatemala. In a cross-sectional study, we collected sociodemographic and anthropometric data and characterized the dietary intake using a Food Frequency Questionnaire. We then calculated diet quality using the Healthy Eating Score (HES). Multiple linear regression models were conducted to evaluate the effects of school attendance on diet quality. We found that the overall diet quality among the study participants was poor, according to the HES. However, those who attended school had significantly higher intakes of vitamin A–rich fruits and vegetables (P = 0.04), other fruits (P = 0.01), and milk and milk products (P = 0.004), but a higher intake of fast foods, chips, and saturated fatty acids (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the effects of school attendance on diet quality were significant after adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors (β coefficient = −1.70, 95% CI: −3.30 to −0.11) but was attenuated when further adjusted for weight status (β coefficient = −1.58, 95% CI: −3.17 to 0.02). Our findings suggest that diet quality among girls in rural Guatemala is poor, particularly among those who do not attend school. To advance our understanding of adolescent diet in LMICs, future studies should include adolescents who are out of school.
KW - adolescent girls
KW - diet quality
KW - low- and middle-income country
KW - school attendance
KW - weight status
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107720058&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/nyas.14558
DO - 10.1111/nyas.14558
M3 - Article
C2 - 33502805
AN - SCOPUS:85107720058
SN - 0077-8923
VL - 1494
SP - 59
EP - 69
JO - Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
JF - Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
IS - 1
ER -