Nutritional Status Among Female adolescents aged (15 - 19 years) in Zambia: Why it Matters

level (OR=0.538, 95%CI: 0.397, 0.728; p<0.001) and from poorest or poorer and middle households were more likely to be underweight (OR=0.654, 95%CI: 0.471, 0.909; p=0.012 and OR=0.702, 95%CI: 0.479, 1.028; p=0.069). A positive correlation exits between diet diversity score and adolescents’ nutritional status though an independent sample t-test revealed that differences exist between urban (M=3.63, SD=1.72) and rural (M=2.91, SD=1.43; t(222)=3.88, p<0.001) adolescents in terms of dietary intake. Further, consumption micronutrient rich foods such as vitamin A and haem-iron are very low with the exception of dark leaf vegetables. Conclusions Therefore, it can be seen that adolescent nutrition in Zambia requires urgent attention, and since there are multifaceted factors affecting it, strategies are required to improve diet diversification and socio-economic status of adolescents if better results are too be realised in future. Further, there is need for future research to assess the actual nutrient and mineral intake by female adolescents with disaggregation between rural and urban if effective interventions are to be made and positive changes in adolescent nutritional outcomes are to be seen for years to come.