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.
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