Effect of Socio-economic Status on Dietary and Nutrient Intakes of Adolescent Girls of Patna, Bihar

Adolescence is a period of rapid growth accompanied by major physical changes which require extra nutritional intake of nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamin and minerals. Adolescent girls are a very important segment of population as they are the potential mothers of future generations. Socio-economic status of adolescent girls has a bearing on their dietary and nutrient intake. The present survey was conducted to assess the variation in food and nutrient intake among the adolescent girls of low, middle and high income groups residing in the jurisdiction of Patna Municipal area. Standard methods of dietary and nutrition survey were used to collect the information. The results were compared with RDA given by ICMR across different income levels of the adolescent girls. The study revealed that the adolescent girls as a whole have a poor intake of food in terms of quality and quality irrespective of their socio-economic status. However, intake of certain food and nutrients varied among girls coming from different socio-economic groups.