%0 Journal Article
%T Anthropometric Characteristics of Underprivileged Adolescents: A Study from Urban Slums of India
%A Sushama A. Khopkar
%A Suvi M. Virtanen
%A Sangita Kulathinal
%J Journal of Anthropology
%D 2014
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2014/197048
%X Purpose. The anthropometric status and growth of adolescents living in challenging conditions such as slums are insufficiently studied. The purpose here was to describe anthropometric characteristics and nutritional status of adolescents from urban slums of India and to study the factors affecting it. Methods. Anthropometric, socioeconomic and dietary habit data were collected using structured questionnaires of six hundred adolescents aged 10¨C19 years by house-to-house survey conducted in two randomly selected slums of Nashik, Western India. The growth of adolescents was compared using WHO and Indian reference populations. Mixed effects logistic regression models were used to examine associations between anthropometric measures and income, motherĄ¯s education, household size, and dietary intake. Results. Prevalences of stunting and thinness were lower using the Indian reference population compared to that of WHO. Stunting was more prevalent than thinness in the study subjects, and boys suffered more than girls. The effect of age on stunting was different among boys than girls. A motherĄ¯s education was highly significantly associated with both stunting and thinness in both sexes. Household size and income were significantly associated with the nutritional status of girls. Conclusions. Educating mothers about the nutritional needs of adolescents may help to improve adolescentsĄ¯ anthropometric profile and future health. 1. Introduction Adolescence is a transitional phase between childhood and adulthood characterized by marked acceleration in growth [1, 2]. It is a second chance for growth or catch-up growth for those children who have experienced nutritional deficiencies in early childhood [3, 4]. A large number of adolescents from South and South-east Asian countries suffer from chronic malnutrition and anaemia which affect their development [1]. The high rate of malnutrition in girls contributes to the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition, and in most developing countries nutrition initiatives have focused on children and women, essentially neglecting adolescents, especially boys [1]. Anthropometry helps in assessing nutritional status and health risks among adolescents [5, 6]. Recommended measures for assessing nutritional status in school-aged children and adolescents are BMI-for-age and height-for-age [7]. Low BMI-for-age is classified as thinness and high BMI-for-age as overweight and obesity, and low height-for-age as stunting [7]. Stunting is a primary manifestation of malnutrition in early childhood and is an indicator of chronic undernutrition,
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/janthro/2014/197048/