Vol. 11, Special Issue 10 (2022)

Author(s):
Namita Rani Behera, Dr. Jyotirmayee Udgata, Monalisa Munda and BR Abha Ayushree

Abstract:
Adolescence is the period of transition between childhood and adulthood. During early adolescence (ages 10-13) children often start to grow more quickly due to puberty growth spurt. This period is a vital period for girls. Mid-Day Meal is a supplementary nutrition programme in the schools in Odisha to enhance the nutritional status and to ensure education for all children. This study aimed at assessing the gap if any in the dietary intake of early adolescent girls as per RDA in the Mid-Day Meal programme implemented schools in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. The objective of the study was to assess the demographic profile of early adolescent girls in middle schools to determine the gap in dietary intake as per RDA and to assess the factors affecting dietary intake of the respondents. A total of 60 number of girl students in middle schools in the group of 10-13 years were randomly selected to be the respondents of the study in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. Descriptive statistics like frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation and gap percentage (%) were adopted to analyze the data. The 24-hour recall method was used to determine the dietary pattern and the dietary intake of nutrients was calculated as per the values given by ICMR, 2020. Then the actual intake was compared with the RDA and gap was determined. The results indicated that, there is significant gap between RDA and actual intake. It was found that the gap between RDA and actual intake in macro nutrients are 396 kcal in Calorie intake, 2.938 gm in protein and 6.064 gm in fat. The gap between RDA and actual intake in micronutrient (vitamin-A) is 49.13 ug. The gap between RDA and actual intake in minerals are 220. 78mg in calcium and 1.97 mg in Iron. The result indicated that there was significant gap in nutrient intake. The study indicated that the mid-day meal programme can include healthy items in the menu as per the preference of children to decrease the wastage of food and to enhance the dietary intake as it provides a major portion of the total dietary requirement of the adolescent girls.