AUTHOR=Patil Suvarna , Joglekar Charudatta , Desai Maruti , Yadav Arvind , Sonawane Swati , Chavan Rupali , Mohite Rachana 

TITLE=Nutritional Status and Psychological Impairment in Rural Adolescent Girls: Pilot Data From “KOKAN” Region of Western India

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=6

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00160

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2018.00160

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> Adolescence is a period during which psychological foundations are laid down as well as consolidated. Not much information is available on rural Indian adolescent girls and their psychological health.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> We did a pilot survey of psychological health of 80 adolescent girls residing at KOKAN region of western India. Psychological health was evaluated using Youth Paediatric Symptom Checklist (Y-PSC) consisting of 35 items with maximum score of 70. Girls with a score &gt;30 were classified as psychologically impaired. In addition we also collected random blood sample and measured the micronutrients. Macronutrient intake was estimated by 24 h recall.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> The mean age of the girls was 14 years with a standard deviation of 1.5. In all 35/76 (46.1%) could be classified as psychologically impaired. There was a high prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies with varying degrees. More than 65% were deficient in calcium, zinc and folic acid. About 22% were anemic and 36% were vitamin B<sub>1</sub> deficient. More than 75% had a low recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of macronutrients. Those with poor serum calcium concentration had higher psychological score (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). Fat and calcium intakes were inversely associated with psychological score (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05 and <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001 respectively). Odds ratios for psychological impairment were significant for those with low calcium levels [1.47 (95% CI 1.21, 4.31)], and for those with low calcium intake 1.43 (1.08, 3.19) and low iron intake 3.04 (1.02, 9.26).</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> Our pilot data has shown the urgent need to improve the nutrition of adolescent girls, which could improve their psychological health.</p>