Multiple studies show that adolescence is a nutritionally demanding phase of life. Even though both adolescent boys and girls face emotional changes during puberty, girls face more physiological demands and thus require a higher intake of macro and micro nutrients. Susceptibility of adolescent girls to anaemia is 40% compared to boys at 18%. This is why promoting dietary diversity is crucial during adolescence, as dietary habits are in the formative stage and evidence shows that behaviour imbibed during adolescence has a higher chance of being continued in adult life. Ensuring appropriate nutrition for adolescent girls is also paramount considering the inter-generational impact it has on combating malnutrition.
Focus on girls
The National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 data (2019-20) show an increase in anaemia among adolescent girls by 5% when compared to NFHS-4. The Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey 2019 shows that even before the pandemic, consumption of diverse food groups among adolescents was low. The fallout of COVID-19 has further worsened dietary diversity, especially of women, adolescents and children. A study by the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition showed that women’s dietary diversity in India declined by 42% during COVID-19 lockdowns as they consumed fewer fruits, vegetables, and eggs. The lockdowns also led to the loss of mid-day meals and interruptions in Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) and nutrition education in schools for adolescent girls. This was compounded by challenges in providing nutrition services to out-of-school adolescent girls which further increased their vulnerability to poor nutrition outcomes. Adolescence is the window of opportunity where practices of dietary diversity can be built to correct nutritional deficiencies and replenish the body with much-needed nutrients, especially for girls. There are a few recommendations that emerge on strengthening the diets of adolescent girls in India.
