The Dual Burden of Malnutrition: Exploring the Association Between Micronutrient Deficiency, Stunting, and Overweight Among Adolescents in India

  • Unique Paper ID: 172623
  • PageNo: 403-410
  • Abstract:
  • Despite India's rapid economic growth, undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies remain significant public health concerns, particularly among adolescents. Nutrition plays a crucial role in growth, yet food insecurity negatively impacts both physical and psychosocial health. Gender disparities further influence dietary patterns, with adolescent boys often having greater access to protein- and vitamin-rich foods than girls. This pro-boy dietary gap is exacerbated by parental aspirations, particularly at mid-adolescence. The prevalence of stunting among adolescents has increased, with 34.1% of 15-19-year-olds affected, while overweight and obesity are rising, especially among boys. Micronutrient deficiencies such as vitamin A, B12, and zinc are linked to stunting, while vitamin D, folate, and iodine deficiencies influence overweight status. The study highlights the dual burden of malnutrition and calls for targeted interventions, especially in early adolescence. Addressing gender inequalities and improving dietary diversity is critical to ensuring optimal adolescent health and development.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{172623,
        author = {Tarique Anwar and Dr. Sayeed Unisa},
        title = {The Dual Burden of Malnutrition: Exploring the Association Between Micronutrient Deficiency, Stunting, and Overweight Among Adolescents in India},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2025},
        volume = {11},
        number = {9},
        pages = {403-410},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=172623},
        abstract = {Despite India's rapid economic growth, undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies remain significant public health concerns, particularly among adolescents. Nutrition plays a crucial role in growth, yet food insecurity negatively impacts both physical and psychosocial health. Gender disparities further influence dietary patterns, with adolescent boys often having greater access to protein- and vitamin-rich foods than girls. This pro-boy dietary gap is exacerbated by parental aspirations, particularly at mid-adolescence. The prevalence of stunting among adolescents has increased, with 34.1% of 15-19-year-olds affected, while overweight and obesity are rising, especially among boys. Micronutrient deficiencies such as vitamin A, B12, and zinc are linked to stunting, while vitamin D, folate, and iodine deficiencies influence overweight status. The study highlights the dual burden of malnutrition and calls for targeted interventions, especially in early adolescence. Addressing gender inequalities and improving dietary diversity is critical to ensuring optimal adolescent health and development.},
        keywords = {Malnutrition, Micronutrient, Stunting, CNNS},
        month = {February},
        }

Cite This Article

Anwar, T., & Unisa, D. S. (2025). The Dual Burden of Malnutrition: Exploring the Association Between Micronutrient Deficiency, Stunting, and Overweight Among Adolescents in India. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology (IJIRT), 11(9), 403–410.

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