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Nutrient intake and growth of adolescents in southern Sri Lanka
Manjula Hettiarachchi1, Chandrani Liyanage, Rajitha Wickremasinghe
1Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. nmu_galle@yahoo.com
Objective:
Growth and dietary intake data are essential for formulation of nutritional policies and interventions for children.
Design:
945 school children (11-16 years) were subjected to growth assessment and their nutrient intake was determined using the 24-hour dietary recall method on three consecutive days.
Results:
21.3% of boys and 21.1% of girls were stunted (-2SD below the median height-for-age). 141 (14.9%) children were both stunted and wasted (-2 SD below the median weight-for-age). Mean body mass index of girls was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than boys at all ages. The mean daily dietary intake of energy was 3.2 (+/- 2.4) MJ, protein 29.1 (+/- 2.1) g, fat 4.5 (+/- 1.1) g, iron 11.5 (+/- 1.0) mg, and zinc 0.8 (+/- 0.7) mg among boys. Among girls, energy intake was 4.2 (+/- 1.8) MJ, protein 29.0 (+/- 2.3) g, fat 4.4 (+/- 1.0) g, iron 11.4 (+/- 1.0) mg, and zinc 0.5 (+/- 0.6) mg. Fat comprised about 4.0% of the daily energy intake.
Conclusions:
High rate of growth deficiency and undernutrition among adolescents mandates innovative nutritional intervention strategies. The observed mean intakes of nutrients in the sample showed a worrisome deviation from the recommendations of the dietary guidelines for Sri Lanka.
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