A cross-sectional study to appraise the perceptual nutrition and health guidance given to adolescents in a rural block in the State of Haryana

Context: Adolescence is a period of rapid transition of such a magnitude that it is associated with the onset or exacerbation of a number of nutrition- and health-related problems. Teachers and health service providers are expectedly the educated stakeholders who could provide them the needed correct nutrition and health guidance. Aims: To assess the extent of nutrition- and health-related guidance given to adolescents by their school teachers and health service providers from the perspective of adolescents. Settings and Design: The design of the study was cross-sectional. It was conducted in Block Beri District, Jhajjar (Haryana). Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on a sample of 320 students in the adolescent age group. Adolescents from the ninth to twelfth grade classes (80 from each school) were selected by simple random sampling, from four randomly chosen large Government Senior Secondary schools, with a strength of more than 250 students (two girls and two boys/co-ed Senior Secondary Schools). Data were collected on pre-designed, pretested, and semi-structured schedules by conducting in-depth interviews with the study adolescents. Statistical Analyses Used: Proportions, Chi square test, Fisher exact test, Chi square test with Yates correction, t test. Results and Conclusion: Guidance received from their teachers regarding character building and/or moral values (267/320) (83.4%), personal hygiene (278/320) (86.9%), and orodental hygiene (252/320) (78.8%), was good. Overall, the guidance on nutrition/anemia and substance abuse received from teachers was found to be (168/320) (52.5%) and (173/320) (54.1%), respectively. Guidance on issues like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)/sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)/Reproductive tract infection (RTIs)/menstrual hygiene received by adolescents from both their teachers and health service providers (HSPs) was found to be very low, that is, 61/320 (19.1%) and 59/320 (18.4%) adolescents, respectively.