A Cross-Sectional Study on Micronutrient Adequacy and Associated Factors among School-Going Adolescent Girls †
Mahatma Gandhi Mission School of Biomedical Sciences, MGM Institute of Health Sciences, Navi Mumbai 410209, India
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023, Belgrade, Serbia, 14–17 November 2023.
Proceedings 2023, 91(1), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091050
Published: 17 November 2023
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023)
Abstract
:Background: Micronutrient deficiency is also referred as hidden hunger, and it increases the global disease burden. Adolescent girls need nutritional care, and their poor dietary intake leads to micronutrient deficiency and poor maternal outcomes. Therefore, there is an urgent need to assess the micronutrient intake among adolescent girls to plan and promote healthy eating behavior and break the malicious cycle of intergenerational malnutrition. Objective: To assess the micronutrient adequacy and associated factors among school-going adolescent girls. Methodology: A school-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 adolescent girls in the suburban area of Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. A simple random-sampling technique was used to select the study participants. A structured questionnaire was used to assess sociodemographic profiles and other factors. The heights and weights of the participants were measured through a standardized method, and their BMI was calculated. Their dietary intake was assessed by taking 24-h recall for three consecutive days, including the weekend. Nutrient adequacy was assessed as the amount of nutrients per 1000 kcal of the participants’ diet that met the critical nutrient density, and it was compared to the observed nutrient densities of the adolescent girls. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 24. Independent t, Pearson’s correlation, and chi-squared tests were used to assess the difference and association between micronutrient densities and different variables. Results: For most micronutrients (iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin D, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin C) the observed density was less than that recommended, meaning intake was inadequate. The mean densities of vitamin A, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and potassium were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with age, BMI, dietary diversity scores, socioeconomic status, and body image concern. Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that micronutrient intake inadequacy among adolescent girls is a public health problem in the study area. Therefore, interventions should be planned with a focus on nutrition-sensitive activities to increase diet diversification and nutrition security among adolescent girls.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, P.P.; methodology, P.P.; validation, P.P.; formal analysis, P.P.; investigation, P.P., A.T. and C.C.; resources, P.P. and A.T.; data curation, P.P.; writing—original draft preparation, P.P., A.T. and C.C.; writing—review and editing, P.P., visualization, P.P.; A.T. and C.C.; supervision, P.P.; project administration, P.P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of MGM School of Biomedical Sciences (MGM/DCH/IEC/02/22 approved on 29/06/22).
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement
The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to utilization of data for further intervention study.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
MDPI and ACS Style
Pareek, P.; Thorat, A.; Chandrasekar, C. A Cross-Sectional Study on Micronutrient Adequacy and Associated Factors among School-Going Adolescent Girls. Proceedings 2023, 91, 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091050
AMA Style
Pareek P, Thorat A, Chandrasekar C. A Cross-Sectional Study on Micronutrient Adequacy and Associated Factors among School-Going Adolescent Girls. Proceedings. 2023; 91(1):50. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091050
Chicago/Turabian StylePareek, Priyanka, Aparna Thorat, and Chethana Chandrasekar. 2023. "A Cross-Sectional Study on Micronutrient Adequacy and Associated Factors among School-Going Adolescent Girls" Proceedings 91, no. 1: 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091050
