Assessment of the adolescents' nutritional status through anthropometric measurements in al-Najaf al-Ashraf Governorate

الملخص EN

Objective(s) : the objective of the study is to determine the nutritional status of adolescents through anthropometric measurements (Body Mass Index, triceps skin fold thickness, mid-upper arm circumference and mid-arm muscle circumference) in Al- Najaf governorate.

Methodology : descriptive study was conducted in the governorate of Najaf on adolescents aged (10-19), in collaboration with the Directorate of Education in the governorate of Najaf for the period from December 1st 2011 to June 1st 2012.

The sample included students of primary schools, intermediate schools and secondary schools (1330 students) males and females and the sample at random selected from those schools, in Najaf, the division into three districts ( Najaf, Kufa, and Manadhera) and all divided into urban and rural areas.

The information was collected through self-fill data as a way to collect the sample using a questionnaire composed of two parts, Part I, including demographic characteristics and contains(12) Items and the second part, which included anthropometric measurements that filled by the researcher.

Select the stability of the questionnaire during the study and select the pilot study through a group of 15 experts.

Been described and analyzed the data using methods of descriptive statistics and inferential.

Results : the results showed that there was a significant correlation scale, the proportion of fat under the skin and the ratio of the effect in males 22.5% and females 16.4 %, while with regard to the scale of the vicinity of the average upper arm was Ceuta effect in males 51.1% and females 41.2 %, with respect to scale ocean Average arm muscles influencing the proportion of 67 % in males and females 75.9 %, the study showed that there is a significant impact between nutritional status and adolescents of both sex.

Conclusion : the vast majority of students were at age group (14–15 and16-17) years ; also Education Levels in Secondary schools; and in Family type in Nuclear family rather than extended family, also Socio-Economic Status in Middle status.

The majority of Body Mass Index in obese was male, while the majority of overweight was female.

The large subject of study in Triceps Skin fold Thickness the lower than range in male, but above normal range in female.

In the both genders, the Mid-Upper Arm Circumference was lower than normal range in great subject of the study.

In both genders, the Mid-Arm Muscle Circumference was lower than normal range in great subject of the study.

Recommendations : the study recommended to pay attention to adolescents in terms of food and the emphasis on food quality, not quantity, activating the role of school health and give importance to the countryside more broadly, the work of rounds of health inspection for teenagers interested in aspect and food follow a regular basis, work sessions of the healthy nutrition of the parents in the schools with the assistance of specialists in the field of nutrition and public health, the work of explanatory posters showing the importance of nutrition and food in adolescence.