Assessment of Nutritional Status of Adolescent College Girls at Rawalpindi

Objectives: To assess the nutritional status of adolescent college girls by assessing the dietary intake in terms of carbohydrates, proteins, Estimating the hemoglobin levels in the study group and studying the clinical signs of malnutrition with special emphasis to vitamin A, iron and iodine deficiency. Design of Study: A cross-sectional study. Settings: Two Post-Graduate women colleges of Rawalpindi. Study Duration: 9 Months (From Jan 2006 to September 2006). Materials and Methods: Nutritional status of 508 adolescent girls was assessed with a questionnaire, clinical examination and biochemical estimation (hemoglobin). The data thus collected was analyzed in July 2006 on computer with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Excel. Results: Results revealed that 20%of girls were having BMI <18.5, 77% above 18.5% and 3% were obese. 57.09% of the girls had goiter out of which 52.96% had palpable goiter and 4.13% had visible goiter. Pallor conjunctiva was seen in 1% girls. No clinical signs of Vitamin A deficiency were seen. Biochemical results indicated that 32.87% of the girls was suffering from Iron deficiency anemia. Conclusions: Large longitudinal and cross-sectional studies, regarding nutrient consumption, dietary habits and nutritional intervention are required in the adolescent girls. These studies can be thought provoking for the policy maker at the government level. Nutritional education and health promotion can be used as tool to improve the health status of the nation.