Nutrition of the Asian adolescent girl
Waslien, C.I.; Stewart, L.K.
Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health 7(1): 31-33
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 1010-5395 PMID: 8074943 DOI: 10.1177/101053959400700106Document Number: 286139
The excess female mortality rate seen in Asia is explained by 2 hypotheses. One posits that sex differences in causes of death are relatively constant from country to country, but the proportion of deaths assigned to any one cause varies. The other states that sex differences vary with circumstances; thus, inadequate nutrition for females would result in a higher death rate. In Asia, discrimination against girls begins before birth and can be revealed by an examination of family and community status indicators. Sexual differences in resistance to disease obscure data to support the inequity hypothesis, but the degree to which mortality rates differ from the biological bias may be a crude measure of inequity. Disparities in nutrition are also masked by data which are combined for boys and girls under age 14 years and then combined for all females over age 14 years. Regional surveys in India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia show that the dietary intake of adolescent girls is likely to be inadequate. Delayed menarche may be an index of poorer nutrition, but it may also be attributable to a high intake of dietary fiber. Another sign of malnutrition is the percentage of growth which takes place after menarche. In well-nourished girls, only 5-10% of growth remains; poorly-nourished girls may grow an additional 20%. Since these are the same girls who marry young, this late attainment of full stature may contribute to high maternal mortality rates. Factors which contribute to the malnutrition of adolescent girls include a lack of understanding of their needs which is exacerbated by taboos which prevent women from consuming some foods during menses. Many questions remain to be answered about the causes of poor nutrition in Asian adolescent girls. Studies currently underway in Bombay, the Philippines, and Nepal may provide some answers needed to design programs to meet the needs of this group.