Abstract: Objectives: To examine eating pattern and nutritional status of adolescent girls of Panipat, (Haryana) with a particular focus on the prevalence of anaemia and appropriate knowledge about it among them.
Methods: A study was conducted on 300 adolescent girls aged 13-18 years randomly selected from Madulda block of Panipat district. A 7-day food frequency questionnaire was used to investigate the eating pattern. Nutrient intake of the participants was assessed by 24h recall method.
Results: Habitual eating pattern indicated poor consumption of pulses, milk, leafy vegetables and fruits. Food intake data revealed mean intakes of protein, calcium, iron; vitamin C and vitamin A were significantly lower than RDA. Anthropometric data indicated that about 22% of the participants were underweight, 72% were normal and only 6% were overweight .The prevalence of anaemia (Hb<12 g/dl) among the participants was 78%. About 7% had low serum iron (<40 =g/dl), 13% showed evidence of iron-deficient erythropoiesis (Transferrin Saturation <15%), 45 per cent did not had knowledge about the causes of anaemia; while 52% and 60% respectively, knew about the prevention and treatment of anaemia. Surprisingly, 63.8% of the participants were not aware about the sources of iron-rich foods.
Conclusions: Results indicate an overall poor nutritional status of rural adolescent college girls in Panipat and need for appropriate nutrition interventions to overcome the problem.
Keywords: Adolescent Girls, Eating Pattern, Nutritional Status and Anaemia-Related Knowledge.
Title: Eating Pattern, Nutritional Status and Anaemia-Related Knowledge in Rural Adolescent Girls of Panipat (Haryana)
Author: Mamta Sharma
International Journal of Life Sciences Research
ISSN 2348-313X (Print), ISSN 2348-3148 (online)
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