Nutrient intake amongst adolescent girls belonging to poor socioeconomic group of rural area of Rajasthan

Abstract

Objective: To assess the nutrient intake of adolescent girls belonging to low socio-economic group of rural Rajasthan.

Design: Cross-sectional, using probability proportionate to size, cluster sampling method.

Setting: 18 villages of Jaipur district.

Subjects: 941 adolescent girls of age 10-18 yr.

Methods: Anthropometric measurements for height, weight, mid-upper arm circumference, triceps skin fold and chest circumference; 24 h recall method to assess nutrient intake. Nutrient intake was compared with Indian Council of Medical Research recommended dietary allowances.

Results: The diets were deficient in calories by 26 to 36%, and in proteins by 23 to 32%. Nutritional status as assessed by body mass index revealed that 8.1% of adolescent girls suffered from chronic energy deficiency (CED) grade I, 6.6% grade II CED, and 78.8% grade III CED. About 73.7% of subjects suffered from anemia and 43.6% had signs of vitamin B complex deficiency.

Conclusions: Intervention strategies are needed to improve the dietary intake of adolescent girls so that their requirements of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals are met.