Nutritional Status of Adolescents in a Rural Area of Bengaluru

Background: Adolescence is the period of transition from childhood to adulthood and is a phase of rapid development. Individual’s behavior and factors such as environment and nutrition influence development and determine various non-communicable diseases. Hence, there is a strong need for promoting healthy lifestyles in adolescents. Therefore, this study was done with the objective of assessing the nutritional status of adolescents in Rajanukunte Primary Health Care (PHC) area. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in Rajanukunte PHC area. Villages are stratified into small, medium, and large and one village was selected randomly from each strata, and quota sampling was done to meet the required sample size. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was validated after the pilot study was used for collecting data. Results: In this study, 70.8% were in their early adolescence and 29.2% in the late adolescence. About 57.4% were male, and 42.6% were female. The mean height of the study population was 147.07cm (±12.19 standard deviation [SD]), and the mean weight was 41.10 kg (±11.85 SD). According to IAP, BMI grading, 14.6% were undernourished, 17.7% were overweight, and 4.5% were obese. On the assessment of micronutrient disorders, 4.9% were clinically anemic, 8.6% had dental fluorosis, 5.6% had a goiter, 1.7% had conjunctival xerosis, 4.25% had diffuse depigmentation of face, and 1.4% had angular stomatitis. Conclusion: In this study, both spectra of malnutrition, that is, overnutrition and under-nutrition, were observed. Thus, an approach for combating this dual burden of malnutrition is necessary for achieving good nutritional status. Key words: Adolescence, Nutrition, Non-communicable diseases, Micronutrient disorder, Body mass index Key Messages • Dual burden of malnutrition (overnutrition and undernutrition) as well as micronutrient disorders were observed among rural adolescents • Various morbidities emphasize regular and periodic screening among adolescents