IJFANS International Journal of Food and Nutritional Sciences

ISSN PRINT 2319 1775 Online 2320-7876

Malnutrition and Its Determinants among Adolescent Girls

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Dr. Kesha Bhadiyadra , Dr. Sushman Sharma

Abstract

Adolescence is an important stage of development that occurs between childhood and adulthood and plays a key role in human existence. This time is a vital physiological stage of life marked by an incredibly fast rate of physical and physiological growth and development. The nutritional status of adolescent girls, who will become mothers, has a significant impact on the nutritional status of people. The 2018 global nutrition report noted that the issue of malnutrition is still a serious one. According to a UNICEF research, half of Indian teenagers have a Body Mass Index (BMI) below normal and 70% of adolescent girls are anemic. In the country, 39.7% of children under the age of five are underweight, 39 % are stunted, and 25.1 % are wasted, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) (2019-20). The global burden of malnutrition has substantial and long-lasting effects on people and their families, communities, and entire countries in terms of developmental, economic, social, and medical issues. The intergenerational malnutrition cycle is intricately woven together by nutritional problems, in particular undernutrition and overnutrition in children and adolescents in developing nations. According to the findings, malnutrition is still a serious health problem that needs to be treated as soon as possible in the susceptible age range.

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