Assessment of Nutritional Status Using World Health Organisation (WHO, 2007) and Revised Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP, 2015) Growth Charts Among Adolescent Girls of Ambala, Haryana

Abstract

Assessing a population’s nutritional status and identifying specific causes and factors contributing to malnutrition are essential to implementing relevant interventions. This study aimed to assess the nutritional status and its correlates among adolescent girls and determine the most suitable growth chart/reference to estimate malnutrition among them. The cross-sectional sample consisted of 858 adolescent girls aged 10–19 years belonging to the rural and urban areas of district Ambala, Haryana. Height and weight were measured to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI). Socio-economic, demographic and dietary patterns were recorded using a structured questionnaire. Nutritional status was evaluated with the help of BMI using two different standards. Correlates of nutritional status were investigated using Chi-square test. According to the classification of WHO, stunting was shown by 60.73% of rural and 38.62% of urban girls. Wasting was witnessed in 52.43% of rural girls compared to 25.67% of urban girls. As per IAP growth charts, the maximum percentage (7.32%) of thinness was seen among rural girls, while only 1.96% of urban girls reported thinness. Urban girls exhibited a maximum percentage (19.36%) of overweight and obesity compared to 5.42% of rural girls. Undernutrition (underweight, stunting and wasting) was more prevalent among the rural girls, while the urban girls showed more incidence of overnutrition, that is, overweight and obesity. Socio-economic variables (parents’ educational status, occupation and monthly family income), demographic variables (family size, birth order and size of sib ship) and dietary habits (frequency of meals per day, food habits, consumption of milk and type of lunch) showed significant association with the nutritional status of the girls. Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (ROC) analysis revealed the IAP growth charts to be the most suitable for assessing malnutrition among adolescent girls compared to WHO criteria.