Malnutrition: It cuts across classes

If death is the great leveller, in Mumbai — the country’s financial capital — malnutrition among children is the leveller in life.

A three-year survey
found rich or poor, schoolchildren between nine and 18 are malnourished. Postgraduate students of Sir Vithaldas Thackersey (SVT) College of Home Science at the SNDT campus in Santa Cruz researched extensively into the eating habits of at least 10,000 students across the city before concluding that the disease spares none.

“We monitored the eating habits of students in five public and five private schools,” one of the researchers said. “We want adolescents to know the right food eating habits so that they are physically fit.

This will also help prevent diabetes or heart diseases later in life.” The study also focussed on parents and teachers.   

The researchers kept checking the eating habits of the students in schools, homes and other places (restaurants, or when they were hanging out with friends etc).

“Their heights and weights too were taken into account,” the researcher said. “We spoke with students, parents and teachers several times to get the full idea. We even checked their tiffin boxes and food available in canteens.”

Dr Jagmeet Madan, principal and professor of the food and nutrition department at SVT College, headed the group that carried out the study.

She said the findings highlighted a “dual burden of malnutrition (under nutrition and over nutrition) cutting across class”.

“A high percentage of gross under-nutrition was observed in both sets of schools,” Madan said. “We found children at both ends of the financial spectrum, rich or poor, chose poor quality foods. All of them ate plenty of junk food and there was barely any physical activity. This is mainly because they are ignorant of healthy eating habits.”

At present, the study has entered Phase II where students are being sensitised about the quality of food they eat.

The Diabetes Foundation of India along with the World Diabetes Foundation in Denmark helped with the study, named MARG —

The Path. Dr Anoop Misra, director and head of the department of diabetes and metabolic disorders in Fortis Hospital, New Delhi, guided the 25 students of SVT College in their study.