Assessment of Nutritional Status of Adolescents: Field Experience from Rural Gujarat, India

Authors

  • Poonam K Trivedi Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar, India
  • Deepak Saxena Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar, India
  • Tapasvi Puwar Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar, India
  • Sandul Yasobant Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar, India
  • Shital Savaliya Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar, India
  • Manish Fancy Sabarkantha, Government Of Gujarat, Himmatnagar

Keywords:

AHD, Adolescent, BMI

Abstract

Background: Worldwide there are more than 1.2 billion adolescent; more than half of all adolescents live in Asia and India has the highest adolescent population than any other country. Adolescents face a range of health challenges; contributing to increased morbidity and mortality. However, the comprehensive data on status of morbidity are scarce. Present study assesses nutritional status of adolescents attended Adolescent Health Day (AHD) in one of the taluka of Gujarat.

Methods: Present study documented nutritional status of adolescents attended 16 AHD organized by health department in Talod block of Sabarkantha district. Screening of adolescents was done for Body Mass Index (BMI) and Hemoglobin estimation.

Results: Out of total 821 adolescents, 690 (84%) school-going and 131 (16%) non-school-going adolescents screened, 17% were severely thin and only about half had normal BMI. Less than a percent were overweight. Prevalence of anemia was 6% in girls and 3% in boys.

Conclusions: Present study documents poor nutritional status of adolescents in rural Gujarat; narrates an urgent need for better nutrition to combat the problem of undernutrition amongst adolescents. Present study also reinforces a need for further research and documentation of nutritional status of Adolescents to enhance current interventions in the field of adolescent health.

References

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Published

2016-12-31

How to Cite

1.
Trivedi PK, Saxena D, Puwar T, Yasobant S, Savaliya S, Fancy M. Assessment of Nutritional Status of Adolescents: Field Experience from Rural Gujarat, India. Natl J Community Med [Internet]. 2016 Dec. 31 [cited 2024 Apr. 19];7(12):926-30. Available from: https://njcmindia.com/index.php/file/article/view/1099

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 12 (2016)

Section

Original Research Articles

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