A Study on dietary pattern of college going normal, overweight and obese girls

Diet and exercise patterns during childhood and adolescence may spell the difference between health and risk of disease in later years. Different stages of the life cycle dictate differing nutrient needs. Dietary habits, which affect food preferences, energy consumption and nutrient intakes, are generally developed in early childhood. In historic times, people viewed obesity as a sign of health and prosperity. Today, however, as standard of living continues to rise, weight gain and obesity are posing a growing threat to the health of habitants all over the world The present study was undertaken to assess the dietary behavior of urban college going girls of different weight. Height and weight of the subjects were taken for calculating BMI and on the basis of BMI subjects were divided in three weight status categories i.e normal, overweight and obese. Thirty girls were selected from each category and twenty four hour recall method was used to assess the dietary intake. Study revealed that food containing high fat and energy were frequently consumed byoverweight and obese subjects.