Impact of Nutrition Education on Nutriture of Rural Adolescent Girls Belonging to Western Plain Zone of Punjab

A nutritional study was conducted on 68 rural girls aged 13 to 15 years belonging to villages Asa Butter and Doda, District Muktsar of western plain zone of Punjab The height of the subjects was 97.2 and 99.3 per cent of the NCHS and ICMR reference standards, respectively whereas, the corresponding weights were 92.9 and 94.0 per cent against the reference standards. The intake of energy, protein and iron was 81.7, 76.0 and 86.1 per cent of the recommended allowances of ICMR (1990), respectively. The intakes of thiamine, folacin, ascorbic acid and calcium were adequate while the intakes of riboflavin and niacin were inadequate. Mean Blood Haemoglobin (Hb), Packed Cell Volume (PCV) and Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) was 10.4 g/dl, 38.5% and 27.0%, respectively. The Hb and MCHC values below normal indicated the poor iron status of the subjects. On the basis of nutritional deficiencies among the subjects, they were given nutrition education which resulted in a significant (PE0.01) gain in the mean nutrition knowledge score i.e. from 49.9 to 79.1%.