학술논문
Associations between dimensions of empowerment and nutritional status among married adolescent girls in East Africa: a structural equation modelling study
Document Type
article
Author
Source
BMC Public Health, Vol 23, Iss 1, Pp 1-14 (2023)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
1471-2458
Abstract
Abstract Background Empowering adolescent girls is an important component of combating malnutrition in this age group. Because empowerment is multidimensional and context specific, it can be difficult for policymakers and practitioners to target the dimensions of empowerment associated with adolescent girls’ nutrition in a particular setting. This study sought to identify the empowerment dimensions significantly associated with married adolescent girls' nutritional status in East Africa; a region where malnutrition and gender inequality stubbornly persist. Methods We used cross-sectional Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from Ethiopia (2016), Kenya (2014), Tanzania (2015–16) and Uganda (2016) to construct and test theoretically informed structural equation models of the relationship between six dimensions of empowerment and BMI-for-age and haemoglobin levels for married adolescent girls aged 15–19 years. Results Our models were found to be a good fit for the data. Married adolescent girls’ access to information, measured by their education level and mass media use, was directly and positively associated with their BMI-for-age (p