Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Growth and nutritional status of Bengali adolescent girls

  • Original Article
  • Published:
The Indian Journal of Pediatrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

Assessment of the growth and nutritional status among healthy Bengali adolescent schoolgirls at peri-urban area.

Methods

In this cross sectional study, sample consists of 527 school going adolescent girls, aged 10 to 18 years. The sample of the present study was collected from a peri-urban area (Duttapukur) of north 24 parganas district of West Bengal, India. Standard anthropometric measurements including linear, curvilinear and skinfold thickness were collected from each subject. Percentile curves and nutritional indices were used to determine the growth and nutritional status respectively.

Results

The nature of distance curves and percentile curves of the body measurements showed a high rate of increase in 10–11 years of age group corresponding to an earlier adolescent growth spurt than average Indian girls. The adolescent girls in the current study were found to be significantly (p<0.0001) taller than Indian girls and heavier than both Indian and urban Bengali girls but slightly shorter than urban Bengali girls. They are significantly (p<0.0001) shorter and lighter than American girls, which also corresponded to 50th percentile curves. Age specific nutritional assessment shows different grades of malnutrition among them. Gomez’s classification indicates about 60 % to 70 % adolescent girls show either moderate to mild malnutrition during their growth period. Both the indices of Waterlow’s classification show least percentage of least malnutrition among the girls.

Conclusion

The growth pattern and nutritional status observed among adolescent girls in peri-urban situation show heterogeneity with respect to some anthropometric traits and in conformity with the growth pattern and nutritional status of urban girls.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Pike RMB. Nutrition: An Integrated Approach, New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Elizabeth KE. A novel growth assessment chart for adolescent. Indian Pediatr 2001; 38: 1061–1064.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Barkey CS, Gardner JD, Frazier AL et al. Relation of childhood diet and body size to menarche and adolescent growth in girls. Am J Epidemiol 2000; 152: 446–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Saibaba A, Mohan RM, Rao GVR et al. Nutritional status of adolescent girls of urban slums and the impact of IEC on their nutritional knowledge and practices. Indian J Comm Med 2002; 28: 151–156.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Satake T, Kikuta F, Ozaki T. Ages at peak velocities and peak velocities of seven body dimensions in Japanese children. Ann Hum Biol 1993; 20: 67–70.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Agarwal KN, Tripathi AM, Sen S et al. Physical growth at adolescence. Indian Pediatr 1974; 11: 93–97.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Vijayaraghavan K, Gowrinath SJ, Indubhushan J. Growth performance of well to do Hyderabad children-A follow up study. Indian J Med Res 1974; 62: 117–124.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Kishore N, Mathur YC, Qureshi S et al. Study of physical and sexual growth of pre adolescent and adolescent children of Hyderabad and their knowledge attitude towards human reproduction and family planning. Indian Pediatr 1978; 15: 147–154.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Pereira P, Mehta S, Khare BB et al. Physical growth characteristics in adolescent girls of upper socio-economic group in Varanasi. Indian J Med Res 1983; 77: 839–844.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Qamra SR, Mehta S, Deodhar SD. Physical growth in schoolgirls: relationship to socio-economic status and dietary intake- II. Indian Pediatr 1990; 27: 1051–1065.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Agarwal DK, Agarwal SK, Upadhyay R et al. Physical and sexual growth pattern of affluent Indian children from 5 to 18 years of age. Indian Pediatr 1992; 29: 1203–1282.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Pathamanathan C, Prakash S. Growth of sitting height, subischial leg length and weight in well- off North-Western Indian children. Ann Hum Biol 1994; 21: 325–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Talwar I, Singh B. Growth pattern of adolescent Meitei boys and girls of Manipur. Man In India 1995; 75: 231–240.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Sidhu S. Survey on weight and height of scheduled caste girls of Punjab. Indian J Matern Child Health 1995; 6: 46–47.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Sachar RK, Singh H, Soni RK et al. Cross sectional study of growth parameters of rural adolescent girls of Punjab. Indian J Matern Child Health 1997; 8: 21–25.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB). 25 years of National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau. Hyderabad, National Institute of Nutrition, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Ali BI, Ahmad A, Neelofar K. Physical growth among adolescent Kashmiri girls from elite class. JK Practitioner 1998; 5: 289–291.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Rao S, Joshi S, Kanade A. Growth in some physical dimensions in relation to adolescent growth spurt among rural Indian children. Ann Hum Biol 2000; 27: 127–138.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Mitra M, Kumar PV, Ghosh R et al. Growth pattern of the Kamars-A primitive tribe of Chhattisgarh, India. Coll Anthropol 2002; 26: 485–499.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Chatterjee S, Mandal A. Physical growth pattern for girls (9–17 yr) from rural West Bengal. Indian J Med Res 1991; 94: 346–350.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Adak DK, Tiwari MK, Randhawa M et al. Pattern of adolescent growth among the Brahmin girls- rural-urban variation. Coll Anthropol 2002; 26: 501–507.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Banerjee I, Ghia N, Bandopadhyay S et al. Body mass index in Bengali adolescents. Indian Pediatr 2005; 17: 262–267.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Chugh R, Puri S. Affluent adolescent girls of Delhi: eating and weight concerns. Br J Nutr 2001; 86: 535–542.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Ramachandran A, Snaehalatha C, Vinitha R et al. Prevalence of overweight in urban Indian adolescent school children. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2002; 57: 185–190.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Khanna G, Kapoor S. Secular trend in stature and age at menarche among Punjabi Aroras residing in New Delhi, India. Coll Anthropol 2004; 28: 571–575.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Weiner JS, Lourie A. Practical Human Biology. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publication, 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Martin R. Lehrbuch der Anthropologie. Erster Band-Somatologie. Jena: Gustav Fisher, 1928.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Gomez F, Galvan RR, Cravita JM et al. Malnutrition in infancy and childhood with special reference to Kwashiorkor. In Levin S ed. Advances In Pediatrics. Chicago: Year Book Publishers, 1955.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Waterlow JC. Classification and definition of protein calories malnutrition. Br Med J 1972; 3: 566–569.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Waterlow JC, Buzina R, Keller W et al. The presentation and use of height and weight data for comparing the nutritional status of children under ten years. Bull Worl Health Org 1977; 55: 489–498.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Frisancho AR. Anthropometric Standards for Assessment of Growth and Nutritional Status. Michigan: The University of Michigan Press, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Growth and Development of Indian Infants and Children. Technical Report Series no 18. New Delhi: ICMR, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  33. CDC. 2002a. NHANES 1999–2000. Data File Documentation. Examination file; Body Measurements dataset. National Center for Health Statistics. 2002b. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/nhanes/nhanes99_00.htm#Examination%20Files. 2004.

  34. CDC. 2002b. NHANES 2001–2002. Data File Documentation. Examination file; Body Measurements dataset. National Center for Health Statistics. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/nhanes/nhanes01_02.htm#Examination%20Files. 2004.

  35. Sen T. Growth and Development of Bengali Girls. Calcutta: Anthropological Survey of India, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Sathyavathi K, Agarwal KN. A review on adolescent growth studies-Part A. physiological aspects and environmental factors. Indian Pediatr 1979; 16: 197–205.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Sathyavathi K, Agarwal KN, Khare BB et al. Adolescent growth studies-Part B. growth characteristics. Indian Pediatr 1981; 16: 271–280.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Chhatwal J, Verma M, Riar SK. Obesity among preadolescent and adolescents of a developing country (India). Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2004; 13: 231–235.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Mascie-Taylor CGN, Lasker, GW. Biosocial correlates of stature in a British National cohort. J Biosoc Sci 2005; 37: 245–251.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Choudhary S, Mishra CP, Shukla KP. Nutritional status of adolescent girls in rural area of Varanasi. Indian J Prev Soc Med 2003; 34: 55–61.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Islamia Hospital, 8 Jessore Road, Kolkata, India

    S. R. Banerjee

  2. Biological Anthropology Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, 203, B.T. Road, Kolkata, 700 108, India

    S. Chakrabarty, T. S. Vasulu & P. Bharati

  3. Sociological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, 8 Jessore Road, Kolkata, India

    S. Bharati

  4. Sishu Sanjivan, Salt Lake, 8 Jessore Road, Kolkata, India

    D. Sinha

  5. 8 Jessore Road, Kolkata, India

    P. Banerjee

Authors
  1. S. R. Banerjee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S. Chakrabarty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. T. S. Vasulu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. S. Bharati
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. D. Sinha
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. P. Banerjee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. P. Bharati
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Bharati.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Banerjee, S.R., Chakrabarty, S., Vasulu, T.S. et al. Growth and nutritional status of Bengali adolescent girls. Indian J Pediatr 76, 391–399 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-009-0015-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-009-0015-3

Key Words

Search

Navigation