Relationship of Dietary Diversity with the Nutritional Status of Female University Students in Kashmir

Author: Sumera and Naila Irshad

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Abstract

Hostellers stay away from home and are free to consume food other than what is being provided by the hostel. Students at present times often tend to eat fast food which is nutritionally inadequate and unhealthy. Thus, there is a need to assess the nutritional status in terms of Dietary Diversity and anthropometric measurements. Certain challenges were faced during the study while collecting data in terms of both primary as well as secondary. Regarding primary data, the respondents owing to their busy schedule showed reluctance towards providing details regarding their dietary intake for which they had to be motivated for a positive attitude. Concerning secondary data, a very less number of research articles in the context of Dietary diversity and anthropometric measurements were available in India in general and Srinagar in particular. The study aimed to assess the Dietary diversity score and its relationship with anthropometric parameters of female day scholars and hostellers enrolled in different Universities in Kashmir. The food intake pattern of the respondents was recorded by 24 hours recall method and nine food groups were used for Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) information. DDS was calculated according to Low DDS (≤3 Food groups), Moderate DDS (4-5 Food groups) and High DDS (≥6 Food groups). The anthropometric parameters assessed during the study were weight, height, waist and hip circumference, Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR) and Waist Height Ratio (WhtR). Using SPSS software the data was subjected to descriptive analysis. The result revealed that 42.9% of day scholars and 44.6% of hostellers with normal weight exhibit medium Dietary Diversity scores. A significant difference was seen in the dietary diversity scores of hostellers concerning their waist-to-height and waist-to-hip ratio.

Keywords

Anthropometry, day scholars, WHR, WHtR, IDDS, FVS

Conclusion

The BMI of most of the students was normal however the other parameters of assessing obesity which include waist hip and waist height ratio were exceeding the normal range. A strong association was seen in dietary diversity scores and anthropometric parameters of students, particularly in hostellers. They were found to be at more risk of developing sedentary lifestyle disorders as was evident from their dietary diversity and anthropometric indices.

References

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How to cite this article

Sumera and Naila Irshad (2023). Relationship of Dietary Diversity with Nutritional Status of Female University Students in Kashmir. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(4): 416-421.