ASSOCIATION OF DIETARY MACRO AND MICRONUTRIENTS WITH BODY MASS INDEX OF MALE CHILDREN FROM A SELECT SCHOOL IN CHENNAI
Jenita Hepzhibha* and Dr. Gowri Ramesh
ABSTRACT
Background: Proper intake of dietary macro and micronutrients will contribute to good nutritional status of an individual. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the dietary macro and micronutrient intake of male children from a select school in Chennai, and find its association with their Body Mass Index. Methodology: The design of the study was Ex-post facto. Convenience sampling was used to select two hundred male children aged 10 to 15 years from the selected school. Height, body weight and BMI were recorded for the subjects, and nutrient intake was estimated using a 24 dietary recall. Results: On comparison with the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), among all subjects categorized as underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese, energy intakes were found to be lower, while fat intake was found to be higher. The two essential minerals calcium and iron in the subjects’ diet were found to be lower than the RDA. Most of the other micronutrients were also found to be less than the RDA. However, no significant correlation was observed between subject’s macro and micronutrient intake with their BMI. Conclusion: Intake of recommended nutrients in children’s diet will help prevent under or over nutrition related health problems.
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