Dietary Diversity Practice among Adolescent Girls of Agro-Pastoral Communities: in Afar region, Northeast Ethiopia

Abstract Background Adolescent girls play a crucial role in society, as they are future mothers and homemakers. In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the burden of malnutrition among adolescent girls is significant, leading to adverse health outcomes. This study aims to assess dietary diversity practices among adolescent girls in the Asaita district of the Afar region, Ethiopia. Objective The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the dietary diversity among adolescent girls and identify associated factors influencing these dietary practices. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted with 464 adolescent girls from April 15 to May 15, 2023. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire via a multistage sampling technique. The data were entered into Epi Info version 4.1 and subsequently exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. A binary logistic regression model was employed to identify factors associated with dietary diversity practices. Results The findings revealed that over two-thirds (77.6%) of the adolescent girls had sub-optimal dietary diversity scores. Significant factors associated with sub-optimal dietary diversity included farm size [AOR (95% CI) = 2.14 (1.37, 4.07)], farm experience [AOR (95% CI) = 2.42 (2.16, 4.49)], educational attainment (elementary school [AOR (95% CI) = 2.98 (1.27, 7.01)] and high school [AOR (95% CI) = 2.87 (1.21, 6.77)]), parental educational status [AOR (95% CI) = 3.00 (1.07, 8.28)], family size (> 5 members: AOR [95% CI] = 0.41 (0.23, 0.73)], and dependency ratio (> 50%: AOR [95% CI] = 3.75 (2.01, 6.33)]. Conclusion The prevalence of sub-optimal dietary diversity scores among adolescent girls in the study area is alarmingly high. It is essential to foster collaborations among various stakeholders, including nutritionists, agricultural workers, and researchers, to develop a holistic approach aimed at improving household dietary diversity.