BACKGROUND: Low—and middle-income countries face a double burden of malnutrition. However, comprehensive, population-based nutritional assessments are rare, particularly across all age groups. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of malnutrition across different age groups in Addis Ababa Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (Addis-HDSS), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from December 2022 to January 2023 in Addis Ababa, involving residents of the Addis-HDSS sites. Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) was used to assess nutritional status for individuals aged 6 months to 64 years. Descriptive statistics were analyzed using STATA version 14, employing previously published age-specific cutoff points to define underweight, overweight, and obesity.

RESULTS: A total of 37,364 individuals aged 6 months to 64 years participated. Among children aged 6-59 months, 4.2% had moderate acute malnutrition (95% CI: 3.7-4.9), and 3.0% had severe acute malnutrition (95% CI: 2.5-3.6). Overweight prevalence was 22.3% (95% CI: 20.3-24.3) in children aged 5-9 years, 25.9% (95% CI: 23.4-28.5) in adolescents aged 10-14 years, and 12.7% (95% CI: 11.5-14.0) in late adolescents aged 15-19 years. Among adults aged 20-64 years, 6.3% were underweight (95% CI: 6.0-6.6), 19.3% overweight (95% CI: 18.8-19.7%), and 21.5% obese (95% CI: 21.0-22.0).

CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights a double burden of malnutrition in Addis Ababa, with overweight and obesity more prevalent than underweight, especially in adolescents and adults. It underscores the need for interventions targeting both undernutrition and overnutrition, emphasizing better diets and physical activity to curb nutrition-related diseases.

KEYWORDS: Underweight, overweight/obesity, nutritional status, children, adolescents, adults, Ethiopia