Macro-nutrient intake of reproductive age group women: findings of a community based study from rural Varanasi

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONNutrition is directly linked to the human resource development, productivity and prosperity of a country. It is the focal point of health and well being. Health status of any individual or a community is directly indicated by the nutritional status of the particular individual or community.1 Over 225 million Indians remain chronically undernourished.2 India's malnutrition and Chronic Energy Deficiency (CED) figures are not coming down despite a number of government programmes. As per NFHS-2 (1998-99) 3 and NFHS-3(2005-06) 4 , there have been marginal changes in child malnutrition and CED in women over a period of seven years. There are about 800 million people undernourished in the world. Most of them live in developing country, about 30% each in southern and eastern Asia, 25% in sub-Saharan Africa, and 8% in Latin America and the other Caribbean. 5Chronic Energy Deficiency results when the body needs for energy fuels (carbohydrate, fat, protein) cannot be met by the diet. It includes a wide spectrum of clinical ABSTRACT Background: Indian rural women are in a disadvantaged position on nutritional scale due to variety of reasons including inadequate consumption of macronutrients. With this background, a comprehensive dietary assessment of macro-nutrient (energy, protein, and fat) intake of rural women of reproductive age group was contemplated with the objectives: (a) to assess macro nutrients (energy, protein, and fat) intake of study subjects, and (b) to pin point the correlates of their macro nutrients intake. Methods: This study was conducted in a Community Development Block of Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh adopting a community based cross sectional study design. Non pregnant women of reproductive age group (15-49 years) were considered as subjects of this study and the required sample size (610) was selected by adopting multi stage random sampling procedure. Socio-demographic characteristics were obtained by interview technique and dietary intake was assessed by 24 hour oral recall questionnaire method. Results: The average energy, protein and fat intakes were 1657.81 ±461.91 Kcal/day, 45.05 ±18.79gm/day, and 37.52 ±31.16 gm/day, respectively. With respect to Nutrient Adequacy Ratio of these macro-nutrients, the values were 84.4%, 81.82% and 55.54% of respective estimated RDAs. Socioeconomic status (SES) exerted a significant (p<0.05) influence in all these three macro-nutrient consumption. Along with SES, age of study subjects was also found to be significantly (p<0.05) associated with protein intake and castes of study subjects were found to be significantly (p<0.05) associated with daily fat intake as well. Conclusions: Well developed nutrition education programmes for women are needed to ensure adequate consumption of macro-nutrients.

Food intake and eating patterns of underprivileged women in a metropolitan city

“…Meenakshi and Bindra analysed their data from the consumer expenditure surveys of the national sample survey organization (NSSO) for 1993-2004 and 2011-2012. 15 They had observed that by 2011-2012 the intake of oils and sugars had increased from 135 to 216 calories per capita per day, among the lowest income groups, and a much greater rise that was 340-390 calories per capita per day seen among the high-income groups. Their results stated that there was a shift from a traditional highcarbohydrate, low-fat diet to diets rich in saturated fat, sugar and salt with lower carbohydrate proportion.…”