A Study on the Prevalence of Malnutrition Among Adolescent Girls

The double burden of malnutrition is characterized by coexistence of undernutrition along with overweight and obesity. Despite a fast growing economy, substantial global and national mitigation strategies, India faces double burden of malnutrition, which is still inclining. The present study revealed double burden of malnutrition characterized by co-existence of underweight and obesity along with micronutrient deficiency i.e., anaemia and non-communicable disease such as hypertension; these were the major health problems among the adolescent girls of Puttaparthi region.Post intervention results regarding health and nutrition programmes indicated increment in the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) scores of the subjects. Health and nutrition education intervention programmes were found to improve food choices and dietary habits, which further persuaded health promotion and disease prevention among the subjects. The findings of the study strongly endorse the need to implement supplementation intervention programmes to prevent undernutrition and anaemia among adolescent girls.