Gender Differences in Nutritional Status During Early Adolescence: A Comparative Study in Mohanpur Block, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal

The aim of this study is to address the sex differences in nutritional status of rural West Bengal Indian adolescents. In 283 secondary school children (161 girls, 122 boys) of Mohanpur High School, a cross-sectional survey was undertaken. Anthropometric measures such as height, weight, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), and BMI for-age z-scores (BAZ) and height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) were measured. Diet intake was estimated through Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) and Food Consumption Score (FCS). Statistical tests such as t-tests, Mann- Whitney U tests, and chi-square tests were conducted in SPSS 25. Height was not significantly different by gender (p=0.836), nor HAZ (p=0.07). Girls weighed more compared to boys significantly (p=0.0118) and tended to have more BAZ (p=0.001). There were no significant differences in MUAC (p=0.105), HDDS (p=0.276), or FCS (p=0.757). BAZ categorization revealed that 32.8%of the boys were underweight as compared to 16.1% of girls (p=0.004). HAZ classification revealed no significant differences between sexes (p=0.986). These results indicate that adolescent girls and boys have comparable dietary consumption and height development, but differences in weight and BMI may be explained by earlier pubertal development and a tendency toward a more sedentary lifestyle in girls. Additional studies using biochemical markers are suggested to elucidate sex-specific nutritional differences.