Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Aug 14;132(3):392-400.
doi: 10.1017/S000711452400120X. Epub 2024 Jun 3.

Energy and nutrient intake by 11-13-year-old young adolescents attending private schools in Delhi, India

Anupama Ivaturi  1 , Lynne Giles  2 , Loc G Do  3 , Tina Rawal  4 , Monika Arora  4 , Paula Moynihan  1
Affiliations

Energy and nutrient intake by 11-13-year-old young adolescents attending private schools in Delhi, India

Anupama Ivaturi et al. Br J Nutr. .

Abstract

There are no high-quality data on dietary behaviour of adolescents in India. This study aimed to assess the intake of energy (E), macronutrients and selected micronutrients in a sample of 11-13-year-old schoolchildren in Delhi, India. Participants from private schools (n=10) recorded dietary intake using a 3-d food diary. Information was entered into the dietary assessment tool, Intake24, to ascertain portion size and convert data into nutrient intake through integrated food tables. Of the 514 consenting participants, 393 (76·4 %) (169 girls, 224 boys) aged 11·4 (±1·8) years completed the study. The median (interquartile range (IQR) daily E intake was 2580 (2139·3-2989·8) kcal (10·8 (9·0 - 12·5) MJ) for girls and 2941·5 (2466·7-3599·3) kcal (12·3 (10·3-15·2) MJ) for boys. The median (IQR) daily nutrient intakes for girls and boys respectively were protein 64·6 (54·8-79·3) g, 74·4 (61·4; 89·4) g; carbohydrate 336·5 (285·3-393·6) g, 379·6 (317·8-461·8) g; and saturated fat 45·6 (34·8-58·3) g, 54·6 (41·9-69·5) g. There were no significant between-gender differences in percentage E from protein (10·2 (9·2-11·4)), or carbohydrate (52·4 (48·7-56·7)). Girls obtained less percentage E from saturated fat (16·1 (11·0-18·2) compared with boys 16·3 (14·2-19·1) (P < 0·05). E from saturated fat was above FAO recommendations in >74 % of participants. The estimated average requirement for iron was achieved by < 40 % of girls. In conclusion, strategies to optimise the dietary intake of adolescents in India should focus on preventing excess intakes of E and saturated fat and improving iron intake in girls.

Keywords: Dietary fats; Dietary reference intakes; Eating: Nutrients; Nutrition status.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Participation rate from ten private schools in Delhi, India.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. UNICEF (2023) Adolescent Development and Participation. New York: UNICEF.
    1. Kupka R, Siekmans K & Beal T (2020) The diets of children: overview of available data for children and adolescents. Global Food Secur 27, 100442.
    1. Sullivan CJ, Childs KK & O’Connell D (2010) Adolescent risk behavior subgroups: an empirical assessment. J Youth Adolescence 39, 541–562. - PubMed
    1. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, UNICEF & Population Council (2019) Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) National Report. New Delhi: MoHFW, UNICEF.
    1. Pandurangi R, Mummadi MK, Challa S, et al. (2022) Burden and predictors of malnutrition among Indian adolescents (10–19 Years): insights from comprehensive national nutrition survey data. Front Public Health 10, 877073. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types