Adolescents in India, account for one-fifth of the total population and are a

significant human resource that

needs to be given ample opportunity for holistic development towards
achieving their full potential. Not only are
needs of the adolescents related to their physical development, but also
to their emotional and psycho-social
development. Past research experience has shown that conducive
environment facilitates holistic development of
adolescents into mature and productive human resource and several
negative influences, affecting the sociocultural
growth of adolescents, are preventable. Adolescent girls have their own
developmental needs, which are
peculiar to them and need to be addressed separately.
The Institute has compiled and reviewed the research on various aspects
of adolescents’ growth

Research during past five years has shown that adolescent girls have
better nutritional status, in terms of
“weight-for-age” and body mass index (BMI) than adolescent boys, but
there was a slow growth after 13-14
years age, leading to lowering of parameters below the Indian Council of
Medical Research (ICMR) standard,
which should be a cause of concern for the programme implementers and
planners.
A statistically significant increase in height (from 2.5 to 3.5 cm

Socio-economic
and demographic factors still have an impact on adolescent growth and
nutrition, as stunting decreased with
increase in per capita income and land holding. Adolescent girls were
thinner than adolescent boys. More than
one-third of the girls were chronically energy-deficient and underweight.
Research has shown that the calorie and protein intake of adolescent girls
was below the recommended level and
the economic vulnerability of the family increased the extent of nutritional
deficit of these macronutrients.
The life style and eating patterns of adolescents assume significance
while studying their macronutrition. Eating
patterns of urban affluent adolescents reveal higher portions of food being
consumed away from home. Data
during past five years has revealed that multiple factors, including their
attitude, subjective norms, perceived
behavioural control and their beliefs influence healthful dietary behaviour
of adolescents and these have to be
kept in mind while planning nutrition education programme and
communication interventions for culturally
diverse population groups.
Life style has greatly contributed to obesity among adolescent girls over
the last five years and obese children
have been reported to be physically less active, more home-bound,
spending more time on internet, playing
video games and watching TV, as well as having easy access to fast foods
in urban settings.
The indicators of growth and development may be reviewed for
community health and nutrition related programmes
to minimise confusion arising out of the usage of the terms ‘thinness’,
‘chronic energy deficiency’ and ‘wasting’,
as well as employing these terms to determine the extent of
macronutrient malnutrition.
The commitment to promote food security within the community and at
the household level through appropriate
strategies for the rural and urban settings would go a long way in
ensuring better growth and development of
adolescents. Gender differentials at the household level in intra-family
food distribution need to be removed
through gender sensitisation and improving availability of food within the
family.
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Future research in the following areas would help in better understanding
and assessment of the dynamics of
energy balance and growth patterns in a rapidly changing society and
transitory effects of globalisation of our
economy on adolescent growth and macronutrition:
_ Studies on intake and energy expenditure in cases of chronic energy
deficiency and obesity among adolescent
girls.
_ Longitudinal studies in life style leading to adolescent obesity.
_ Rapid appraisal study on intra-family food distribution.
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Physical Growth Standards for Urban Adolescents (10-15
years)
from South Gujarat
Thakor Hitendra G, Kumar Pradeep, Desai Vikas K, Srivastava Ratan K.
Indian Journal of Community Medicine,
April-June 2000; XXV (2): 86-92.
INTRODUCTION
Achievement of optimum growth during adolescence is of utmost
importance in maintaining good health thereafter.
Growth monitoring by anthropometric measurement during this period, is
not only an important health indicator
but also a predictor of various morbidities in the community. Most of the
attempts of generating anthropometric
profile have so far focussed on pre-school children and a very few have
dealt which adolescent age groups. Nonavailability
of an anthropometric profile for adolescents of South Gujarat, especially
for lower middle and lower
social class prompted to design this study.

The period of adolescence comprises nearly half of the growing period. Besides the
obvious changes in physical size and shape associated with adolescent growth and the
onset of puberty, there are social and psychological changes that are equally
transformative in magnitude. With the profound growth, comes increased demand for
nutrients like proteins, energy, vitamins and minerals. Since majority of the adolescent
girls especially representing the lower segments of society are undernourished with
associated social maladies like son preference, incidence of early marriage and high rates
of maternal mortality, a strong focus on improvement in nutritional status of adolescent
girls . Several studies reported earlier also confirm the need for special attention to
improve the health and nutritional status of the adolescents