Assessing Factors That Affect the Uptake of Micronutrient Supplements Among Adolescent Girls in Refugee Camps

Abstract

Nutrition of adolescent girls and adolescent women in low to medium income countries (LMICs) is especially important because of the high burden and severe consequences of malnutrition. Unfortunately, an estimated 41% of all forcibly displaced people are children and many of these children live in refugee camps.

This mixed methods study was conducted to assess factors that affect the uptake of micronutrient supplements among adolescent girls in refugee camps, specifically focusing on Dzaleka. Nine adolescent girls at the camp were purposively sampled to participate in the study. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and open-ended questions, then analyzed using SPSS and Microsoft Excel.

Key Findings

• Knowledge Gap: The study findings point to inadequate knowledge about micronutrient supplements, particularly among primary school going girls.
• Negative Attitudes: Attitudes towards micronutrient supplements were generally negative, largely because programs promoting them are low-scale and irregular.
• Caregiver Influence: Some caregivers, including parents, relatives, and teachers, do encourage girls to take supplements for their nutritional wellbeing.
• Access Challenges: Adolescent girls expressed a desire for supplements to be readily available both at the camp clinic and in schools.

Recommendations

• Implement large-scale micronutrient supplementation programs within the refugee camp.
• Utilize schools as primary entry points for distribution.
• Pair supplementation with comprehensive nutrition education campaigns to improve knowledge and attitudes.

More details

• Researcher: Josephine Palika
• Published: April 5, 2026
• Certificate ID: AR20262WK4MF
• Platform: AfriResearch