On October 31, 2019, As per the report “Adolescents, Diets and Nutrition: Growing Well in a Changing World 2019” released by UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund, originally known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) more than 80 % of adolescents in India suffer from “hidden hunger”(a form of undernutrition), and less than 10 % of boys and girls eat fruits and eggs daily.
Key points:
i.Adolescents (a person aged between 10 and 19 years) are deficient in nutrients such as iron, folate, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.
ii.These are the findings of a report on adolescents released by policy think tank of the Government of India ,the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog and UNICEF India.
iii.The report stresses 3 major interventions in the diet, behavior and services of adolescents ,which can break this poor nutrition cycle .
iv.More than 25 percent of adolescents did not consume green leafy vegetables even once a week & milk products are consumed by 50 % of adolescents daily.
v.In every part of India, a teenager aged 10 – 19 years is at risk of diabetes and heart disease & More girls are shorter than boys.
vi.Anemia affects 40 % of adolescents girls, compared to 18 % of boys.
About NITI Aayog:
Formed: 1 January 2015
Headquarters: New Delhi
Chairperson: Narendra Modi
Vice Chairperson: Rajiv Kumar
About UNICEF:
Formation: 11 December 1946
Headquarters: New York City, U.S.
Executive Director: Henrietta H. Fore
