Background: Anemia is very common worldwide among adolescent girls. WHO Regional office for SouthEast Asia sketched that "Iron deficiency anemia is the most glaring nutritional deficiency, with no less than 25-40% of adolescent girls as victims of moderate and sometimes severe anemia. In countries of this region, at least 40-50% of adolescent pregnant girls are anemic". According to study conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research adolescent girls from 16 districts of 11 states of India showed that, the prevalence of anemia was 90.1% and 7.1% having severe anemia (Hb < 70 g/L). Adolescence being a rapid transition phase with high requirement of additional nutrition. Anemia among adolescent girls develops due to accelerated increase in the requirements for iron, coupled with poor dietary intake, menstrual loss high rate of infection and worm infestation. Objectives: This study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitude, practice and health seeking behavior change regarding anemia after weekly iron folic acid supplementation and intensive health education among adolescent school girls of Delhi. Materials and Methods: This was an intervention study conducted among adolescent school girls of Delhi. The study was conducted among 106 adolescent school girls of XI class by administering a pre-tested questionnaire based on the following four domains-knowledge, attitude, practices and health seeking behavior regarding anemia. Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) and intensive health education was given for six months as an intervention. Health education package included power point presentation, pamphlets and visual display of iron rich foods like green leafy vegetables, germinated pulses (sprouts), citrus fruits and jaggery. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS software version 17. Results: Only 34.9 percent girls had heard about anemia and 38.9 percent felt that anemia is a health problem. When asked for the reasons for anemia, around 8 (7.5%) could answer correctly. There was change in knowledge, practices and health seeking behavior after the intervention and was statistically significant. Conclusion: WIFS and intensive health education intervention has an impact on improving knowledge, attitude, practices and health seeking behavior of adolescent school girls. Additional nutritional interventional research is needed to reinforce good practices to prevent anemia.

Background:Menstruation is a normal physiological phenomenon for females indicating her capability for procreation. Menstrual problems are common in adolescent girls, which may affect their life and outdoor activities. Adolescent girls with abnormal body mass index (BMI) suffer even more often.Objectives:To assess the relationship between menstrual patterns and problems with BMI among adolescent school girls of Delhi.Materials and Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study conducted among 210 adolescent school girls of Delhi. Permission was obtained from principal of the school and written informed consent was taken from the parents of the school girls before taking part in the study. All the data were collected, entered, and analyzed in SPSS 17.0. The data were analyzed using percentages and proportions through tables.Results:Out of 210 adolescent girls, 114 (54.3%) were having BMI <18.5, which implies that >50% of the girls were undernourished. Only 13 (6.2%) of adolescent girls were overweight. Adolescent girls who had BMI <18.5 experienced more symptoms and problems associated with menstrual cycles. This difference was statistically significant.Conclusion:Menstrual problems especially dysmenorrhea are frequent among adolescent girls. BMI play a very vital role for menstrual cycle regularity. Consequently, adolescent girls have to be given healthy and balance nutrition, which leads to maintenance of their normal BMI and regulate their menstrual cycle.

Background: Adolescence is the period of rapid physical growth, psychological and social changes. This period is marked by the onset of menarche in the girls. Menstruation is a natural biological process experienced by all adolescent girls and women in reproductive age. The menstrual cycle is characterized by variability in volume, pattern and regularity. Conversely, variability in menstrual cycle characteristics and menstrual disorders are common among adolescent girls. The objectives of the study were to determine patterns of menstruation, prevalence of menstrual disorders and hygienic practices during menstruation in the adolescent school girls.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 210 adolescent school girls of Delhi.Results: The mean age at menarche in the study subjects was 13.47±0.87 years. Average menstrual interval was days. Dysmenorrhea was reported by 76.1% of the girls, body ache was experienced by 64 (30.4%). Majority of girls 174 (82.8%) used sanitary pads as absorbent during cycle.Conclusions: Menstrual problems are frequent among adolescent girls. Dysmenorrhoea was the commonest problem among the adolescents. Adolescent girls withstand their pain and think it as a normal phenomenon. Educating students about menstrual health by health professionals and teachers can help in reducing their psychological and physical stress.

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Background: Iron deficiency is the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in the world, affecting a large number of children and women in developing countries and constituting a public health condition of epidemic proportions. Weekly iron and folic acid supplementation (WIFS) with health education has been demonstrated to be effective in reducing anemia in adolescent school going girls. We assessed the impact of WIFS with and without health education on anemia in adolescent school girls of Delhi. Methods: This is a school-based intervention study conducted in two government senior secondary schools of Delhi. A total of 210 adolescent school girls from two schools were included in the study. In one school (intervention group), weekly ironfolic acid with health education once a month was given, and in the second school (control group), only WIFS was given for 6 months. Iron–folic acid supplementation containing 100 mg of elemental iron and 0.5 mg of folic acid was given on a weekly basis, and health education was provided once a month for 6 consecutive months. Hemoglobin (Hb) estimation was done at the beginning and the end of the study using the Hemocue method. Mean Hb change after intervention between the control and experimental groups was compared using a t test. Pre and post differences within the control and experimental groups were assessed using a paired- t test. Results: After intervention, there was a significant decline in prevalence of anemia in both the intervention (54.7 percentage points decline) and the control (26 percentage points decline) groups ( P < 0.001). Conclusions: WIFS with once a month health education can be effective in reducing the prevalence of anemia in adolescent school girls.