Ahmed Mohamed A, Al-Nafeesah Abdullah, AlEed Ashwaq, Adam Ishag
Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.
Department of Pediatrics, Unaizah College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Unaizah, 56219, Saudi Arabia.
J Eat Disord. 2023 Mar 27;11(1):49. doi: 10.1186/s40337-023-00777-0.
Pica, the craving for and purposive eating of non-food items, is a common worldwide problem, especially among children and pregnant women. There are few published data on pica among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, and no study has been carried- out in Sudan. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and associated factors of symptoms of pica among adolescent schoolchildren in northern Sudan.
A school‑based cross‑sectional study was conducted from July to September 2022 among adolescent students (aged 10-19 years) in four public primary and secondary schools in Almatamah locality in north Sudan. Sociodemographic information (age, sex, mother's education, mother's occupation, and father's education) was collected through a questionnaire. Weight and height were measured using a standard procedure, and the body mass index Z-score was computed using the World Health Organization's reference values. Logistic regression analysis was performed.
Of the 384 enrolled adolescents, 180 (46.9%) were male and 204 (53.1%) were female. Their median (interquartile range) age was 15.1 (13.1‒16.3) years. The prevalence of symptoms of pica was found to be 30.7%, accounting for 118 adolescents. The most common type of pica was geophagia (eating clay and sand; 102 adolescents, 86.4%), followed by pagophagia (eating ice; 14 adolescents, 11.8%) and flour (starch; two adolescents, 1.6%). In the logistic regression analysis, females (adjusted odds ratio = 3.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.15‒5.78) and a lower level of father's education (adjusted odds ratio = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.26‒3.34) were associated with symptoms of pica.
In Sudan, symptoms of pica are common among adolescents, especially females. Caregivers need to assess pica in adolescents. Further research is needed to develop guidelines, medical training, and practice.
异食癖，即渴望并有意食用非食物物品，是一个全球普遍存在的问题，尤其在儿童和孕妇中较为常见。关于撒哈拉以南非洲地区青少年异食癖的公开数据很少，苏丹尚未开展过相关研究。本研究旨在确定苏丹北部青少年在校学生中异食癖症状的患病率及相关因素。
2022年7月至9月，在苏丹北部阿勒马塔马地区的四所公立中小学对青少年学生（10至19岁）开展了一项基于学校的横断面研究。通过问卷收集社会人口学信息（年龄、性别、母亲教育程度、母亲职业和父亲教育程度）。使用标准程序测量体重和身高，并根据世界卫生组织的参考值计算体重指数Z评分。进行了逻辑回归分析。
在384名登记的青少年中，180名（46.9%）为男性，204名（53.1%）为女性。他们的年龄中位数（四分位间距）为15.1（13.1‒16.3）岁。发现异食癖症状的患病率为30.7%，涉及118名青少年。最常见的异食癖类型是食土癖（吃泥土和沙子；102名青少年，86.4%），其次是食冰癖（吃冰；14名青少年，11.8%）和食面粉（淀粉；2名青少年，1.6%）。在逻辑回归分析中，女性（调整后的比值比=3.52，95%置信区间（CI）=2.15‒5.78）和父亲教育程度较低（调整后的比值比=2.05，95%CI=1.26‒3.34）与异食癖症状相关。
在苏丹，异食癖症状在青少年中很常见，尤其是女性。照顾者需要评估青少年的异食癖情况。需要进一步研究以制定指导方针、医学培训和实践方法。
