A Study on Food Security in Terms of Energy Intake and Malnutrition among Selected Female Young Adults

Young adulthood is a unique period whereby youth slowly start gaining independence. They are vulnerable to develop unhealthy behaviours, which will predispose them to chronic diseases later in life. The nutritional status of female young adults is of great concern because, the multiple roles played by women, give rise to serious health and nutritional problems.

In this study, an attempt was made to understand food security in terms of the energy intake and malnutrition among female college students. 100 healthy female college students were selected for the study by purposive sampling. Interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to obtain general information. Anthropometric method was used for assessing body mass index. A 24-hour dietary recall method was used to collect the data regarding the energy intake.

The age of the students ranged from 20-22 years. Majority of the subjects were Hindus, belonged to nuclear families. The results of the study show that 38 per cent of the subjects’ energy intake was less than the recommended values. 6.5 per cent of the students skipped their breakfast and the prominent reason cited was lack of availability of time. The nutritional status assessed by their body mass index (B.M.I) showed that 39.47 per cent were underweight, 2.6 per cent were overweight, 2.6 per cent pre-over weight and 2.6 per cent were obese. Overall, 44.74 per cent of the subjects were malnourished.

The study highlights the fact that nearly half of the subjects do not have food security in terms of energy intake. So there is an urgent need to address this issue as lack of food security of female young adults is likely to have serious consequences on their health as well as that of future generations.