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Background: Adolescent population Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS) is uncommon in low-income settings. Though Global Diet Quality Score is a good measure of dietary diversity, it has not been used in assessing nutritional outcomes among adolescents. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess school-attending adolescents stunting and thinness status and associations with global diet quality scores in Addis Ababa. Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among school-attending adolescents in the age group of 10–14 years in urban settings in Ethiopia. A multi-stage stratified random sampling procedure was used to select schools and students. A total of 1200 adolescents were included in the study. Binary and Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to determine the predictors of stunting and thinness respectively. Results: The proportion of school-attending adolescents stunting was 8.17% (95% CI: 6.74%,9.85%) and their thinness status 12.66% (95% CI: 10.89%, 14.67%). The overall mean GDQS food groups for Seven days period consumed were 19.99 + 2.81 SD. Male adolescents were 1.95 times more likely to be stunted compared to female adolescents (1.95; 95%CI: 1.11,3.39). Frequent consumption of low-fat dairy increased the risk of thinness, while frequent consumption of citrus fruits and white root tubers decreased the risk of school-attending adolescents' thinness. Conclusion: The proportion of thin or stunted adolescents attending school was high still, about 1 in 10. Stunting and thinness have no association with the overall GDQS. Nutritional interventions need to consider frequent consumption of citrus fruits, low-fat dairy, and white roots and tubers in school adolescents' nutritional programs. Further studies should validate the GDQS for stunting and thinness of school adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: School absenteeism and grade retention are associated with various life-course problems. In this study, we examined school absenteeism and grade retention in Ethiopian adolescents, as well as factors associated with them. Methods: We analyzed data from 1200 adolescents (aged 10-14 years) from 20 public primary schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We carried out multivariate logistic regression analyses, adjusting for school-level clustering, to determine the factors associated with school absenteeism and grade retention. Results: Grade retention, father's lower education, parental occupation other than a government job, household food insecurity, being in large schools, and not having toilets in the school were associated with higher absenteeism rates, while involvement in paid work was associated with lower absenteeism rates. Having educational resources at home was associated with lower odds of retaining a grade but having mental health problems and a father's occupation other than a government job were associated with higher odds of grade retention. Conclusions: Interventions aiming to increase school presence and performance among urban Ethiopian adolescents may require a multi-level approach addressing food insecurity, psychosocial problems, and provision of sanitation facilities at schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]