Published Paper Details:

Adolescence is a significant period in human life during which individuals undergo physical, cognitive, and psychosocial growth ending with gaining the ability to legally be independent of parents or guardians. The UN defines adolescence as the years from 10 to 19 years of age, although the WHO extends it to include people up to 24 years of age. The adolescent girls are the most important and valuable assets of any countries of the world because in future the adolescent girls will become mother. For this reason their nutrition is very much important for their lives. However the present has conducted to assess dietary patterns of school going adolescent in rural areas in Bangladesh and to identify the nutritional status of school going adolescent in rural areas in Bangladesh. The study was documentary analysis type. Data and information were collected from secondary sources such as books, research reports, journal, and websites of different organizations. Data and information were also collected from website from the ministry of health and family welfare, peoples republic of Bangladesh. From the study it was found that in adolescent period, adolescents need a higher protein intake, adequate vitamins, minerals and micronutrients due to the rapid linear growth and bone accretion. Compared to younger children, adolescents generally prefer snack more, skip meals, eat outdoors, eat late, and eat fast food more frequently which is typically impacted by their body image, peers, and the media. It is also a common time for the initiation of other unhealthy habits, such as drinking, smoking, and lethargy. A diet containing diverse food items provides a wide range of macro and micronutrients and enhances the nutritional quality of the diet. In contrast, starchy staples based on monotonous diets are deficient in important nutrients and subsidize to the burden of malnutrition. Dietary diversity among the adolescents and women of Bangladesh is very low. Two-thirds (66%) of women (including adolescents) consumed inadequately diversified diet (highest inadequacy in Rangpur division, 72%). In addition, adolescent health is also influenced by community determinants, risk factors, health protective measures, genetic factors, and changing social roles. Household factors, such as sociodemographic and economic status, as well as community factors including land availability and customs also play a role. From the study it was found that the change of the behavior of adolescent girls in increasing dietary diversity through school-based nutrition education, instead it showed a pathway on how to increase dietary diversity at school setting. With a limited resource, school-based nutrition of Bangladesh education intervention in real settings of the schools has demonstrated its feasibility in improving dietary diversity of the adolescent girls. Adolescent girls in Bangladesh face significant nutritional challenges, with high rates of undernutrition, including stunting and anemia. This is further complicated by factors like poverty, lack of access to nutritious food, and early marriage, which can lead to early pregnancy and increased nutritional needs. Addressing these issues is crucial for improving their health and breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty.