Nutritional Status of Late Adolescent Girls from India : Cross sectional study using anthropometric measures in rural part of central India

Malnutrition, a most common nutritional deficiency worked worldwide with more interest in under five children and to some extend in elderly. But do we really care the nutritional status of adolescents which is the most rapid growing state, only next to infancy. In the underdeveloped and developing countries, estimates from various national and international studies shows upto half the girls in their adolescence are malnourished, and half of those are on the verge to deliver a child, at risk of under nutrition. Various national programs and voluntary health organizations are working in the field of improvement of nutritional status of adolescent girls for more than half a century, yet the problem is a great public health hazard. Attempt has been made in this study to identify the problem status along with the correlates of nutritional status through community based cross sectional study and identification of factors perceived by the adolescents themselves for prevention of non attainment of proper nutrition and failing all the attempts targeted towards the issue.