Adolescence is a crucial position in the life of human beings. Nutritional demand reaches peak in this period. After go
through and critically review we found malnutrition rate among adolescent is high. They have both macronutrient and
micronutrient deficiency. Behavioral risk factors and peer group pressure have strong influence on food choices. Obvious
difference was observed in urban, periurban and rural area. More large scale or depth study can be conducted to get recent
picture.
Adolescence is a significant period of life. Actually it is a transitional
period from puberty to adulthood. Most of the physical
growth occurs in this time period. Healthy and nutritious eating
during adolescence is particularly important as body changes
during this time affect an individual’s nutritional and dietary
needs. Adolescents are becoming more independent and making
many food decisions on their own. In urban area they are
prone to take fast, junk and energy dense food. Many adolescents
experience a growth spurt and an increase in appetite
and need healthy foods to meet their growth needs. Adolescents
tend to eat more meals away from home than younger
children. Peer group pressure is an important determinant of
adolescent nutrition. Meal convenience is important to many
adolescents and they may be eating too much of the wrong
types of food, like soft drinks, fast-food, or processed foods.
Also, a common concern of many adolescents is dieting. Girls
may feel pressure from peers to be thin and to limit what they
eat. This review is an attempt to explore more on adolescent
nutrition.
The United Nations’ Sub Committee on Nutrition meeting held
in Oslo in 1998 concluded that more data on health and nutrition
of school age children are needed to assess their scale of
problem. It also believed that the scale of nutritional problems
may have been previously under estimated. Traditionally,
the main health indicator used by health planners has been
mortality rates. Adolescents have the lowest mortality among the different age groups and have therefore received low priority.
However, recent studies have shown that the prevalence of
malnutrition and anemia is high in these age groups.
The recent trend of recognizing adolescent girls as a separate as
well as the crucial target group is heartening. Yet, sustained efforts
are needed at the national level not only to develop comprehensive
and innovative programmes for this segment of our
population but also ensure their effective implementation. It is
expected that such a holistic approach for the development of
adolescent girls will gradually improve their nutritional status
as well as enhance their nutrition/health knowledge and social
awareness. Equipped with skills for income generation, these
girls will be empowered to make decisions regarding themselves
and their family, especially the children.
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