Assessment of Knowledge Regarding Nutrition among Secondary School Students in the Northern Regions of Bangladesh

Bangladesh, the rising rate of malnutrition among teenagers enrolled in school poses a serious risk to public health. Teenagers in school are a significant population that suffers from malnutrition. Accurate nutrition advice can improve their health, increase their understanding, and lessen the impact of malnutrition. The study aimed to assess knowledge level on nutrition among secondary school students in a selected school of Bogura town which is northern regions of Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted with secondary school students of a selected school at Bogura. Students of class VII to class X were included in the study. Sample size, in this study, was 222. Purposive sampling was done. Data, collected by a structured questionnaire, were analyzed using SPSS software version 22. Results were presented by frequency tables and graphs. Mean age of the respondents with standard deviation was 14.46 ± 1.3 years with a maximum value of 18 years and a minimum value of 12 years. Among them, 26.6% are in class VII, 27.5% are in class VIII, 26.1% are in class IX and 19.8% are in class X. Most of their fathers (63.5%) and mothers (64.4%) have an educational level of SSC or HSC. Among the respondents, 39.2% were found to have good knowledge,48.6% to have average knowledge and 12.2% to have poor knowledge regarding overall nutrition. About 61.9% of the respondents were found to have good knowledge, 30.1% to have average knowledge and 2.1% to have poor knowledge regarding nutrient content of different foods.