Vol. 10, Special Issue 6 (2021)

Author(s):
Sravya Seva, Lakshmi K, Lakshmi J and Vijaya Gopal A

Abstract:
Adolescence is an intense anabolic phase where the nutrient intake increases. Nutritional deficiencies have far-reaching consequences, especially in pubescent girls. A study was undertaken to measure nutritional level of adolescent girls. The girl students (150 respondents) who were boarders of a Girl’s Hostel in Guntur town of Andhra Pradesh were chosen for the study and their nutritional status was assessed. The data collected using a questionnaire was compiled and analyzed for estimation of the dietary condition of adolescent girls. In this study, purposive sampling, mean, percentiles, frequencies and one-sample t-test were used as a statistical tools for analyzing data. The data showed that 37 per cent were undernourished with a BMI range of <18.5 kgs/mt² and 42.6 percentage of the respondents were observed as moderately anemic. The regular diet of teenage girls was found to provide 1045 kcals, 43 g of protein, 28 g of fat, 169 g of carbohydrates, 6.55 g of iron and 64.22 mg of Vitamin C. One sample t-test revealed that iron consumption from the regular diets of adolescent girls is significantly low (P>0.01) compared to RDA of 30 mg. Iron, folate and vitamin C are important nutrients to be provided in adequate amounts in the course of adolescence. So, there is a necessity to enrich the foods of juvenile girls for better nutritional status to meet the nutrient requirement.