ABSTRACT
Aims: Malnutrition among all ages is still a persistent problem in India, especially in areas where the poor largely depend on rice and wheat staples with limited access to diverse diets using underutilized foods. This study was conducted to nutritionally enhance traditional food products like roti and lapsi utilizing suitable composite flours based on amaranth, soybean and wheat without affecting their sensory quality. Study Design: Different combinations of amaranth, soybean and wheat flours were made to suit the quality characteristics of roti and lapsi. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Foods and Nutrition, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar (India), between January and June 2016. Methodology: The sensory evaluation of food products and estimation of nutritional composition of composite flours was done using standard procedures. Results: The composite flours having 25% amaranth, 15% soybean and 60% wheat flour and 25% amaranth, 10% soybean and 65% wheat flour were found to be most acceptable sensorially and were significantly superior to their control counterparts for protein, ash, fibre, carbohydrate calcium and iron content (p=.05). Conclusion: Roti made from amaranth and soybean incorporated composite flours with better protein quality and low available carbohydrates and physiological energy almost same as control would be better diet alternative to diabetic and overweight patients whereas lapsi may be effectively used as supplementary food. Many other traditional food products like laddoo, halwa, puri, parantha, burfi etc. may also be made from such composite flours.
ABSTRACT
Aim: Present study was carried out to determine the prevalence and epidemiological correlates of anaemia among adolescent girls (AGs) of district U. S. Nagar, Uttarakhand (India). Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted between March-November 2017 among 880 AGs (10-19 years) in 88 anganwadi (AWC) centers covering three blocks one each from rural, urban and tribal blocks of district U.S. Nagar. A pre-structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic, dietary and menstrual health data on AGs along with their anthropometric and heamoglobin (Hb) measurements. Univariate logistic regression analysis was performed using R software between independent variables categorised under socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric, menstrual health and dietary characters versus the presence of anaemia. Independent variables which were found to be significantly associated with the presence of anaemia, in univariate analysis were further analysed through multiple regression analysis to find predictors of anaemia. Results: The mean age of the study population was 15.4 years. Prevalence of anaemia was found to be 83.18% among AGs with mean Hb value of 10.62±1.5g/dl. In univariate analysis, consumption of iron folic acid supplement (IFA), age, current school status, exposure to nutrition education on anaemia, mother’s literacy status, number of children in the family, abdominal obesity, behavior of skipping meals, number of meals per day, duration of menstrual flow and type of menstrual flow were significantly associated with anaemia in AGs. While multiple regression analysis revealed that the strongest predictors of anaemia were non-exposure to nutrition education on anaemia AOR (95%CI) 1.76 (1.36, 3.12); mother’s illiteracy AOR (95%CI) 1.56(1.17,1.96) and long duration (>5 days) of menstrual flow AOR (95%CI) 1.45(1.25, 1.65), and these were significantly associated with increased odds of nutritional anaemia while consumption of IFA AOR(95%CI) 0.329(-0.04-0.71), scanty menstrual flow AOR (95%CI) 0.692(-0.45,0.95) and late adolescent age AOR (95%CI) 0.45(-0.03,0.94) showed a protective effect.