Nutritional status of adolescent boys in urban and rural Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Background: Adolescent is the period between 10 and 19 years. They form the future generation of a country. Adolescents’ nutritional needs are critical for the well being of a society. Poor nutritional status during adolescence is an important determinant of health outcome. The adolescents have different needs and have diverse problems. This study was conducted to assess the nutritional status and find out the morbidity pattern of the school going adolescents.Methods: A cross-sectional study was done covering 500 students between 10-19 years of age from rural and urban schools of district Aligarh. Students were interviewed and anthropometric measurements were taken. The data obtained were tested statistically by percentages and Chi-square Test using SPSS 17.Results: The overall prevalence of stunting was found to be 12.29 % in rural and 8.59 % in urban areas. Overall 4.51 % students were found to be suffering from severe stunting in rural areas in comparison to 0.39 % in urban areas.Conclusions: Adolescent is vulnerable age group with high prevalence of malnutrition, therefore should be given priority in national health programs.