Name: Abha Khetarpal
Country: India

Year: 2016
Volume: Volume-1, Issue-2 (July-December)
Page Number: 64-72

Adolescence is regarded as the period of stress and strain, storm and strike. This is the time when an individual undergoes tremendous changes both physically, emotionally and psychologically. A profound and abrupt change is clearly perceptible into the development of the child who is neither too young nor too old. This sudden growth and development in the child is the unique characteristic of adolescence, an age which requires lots of care, affection, guidance, proper monitoring and motivation. Adolescence can be a time of both disorientation and discovery. The transitional period can bring up issues of independence and self-identity; many adolescents and their peers face tough choices regarding schoolwork, sexuality,drugs, alcohol, and their social life. Peer groups, romantic interests and external appearance tend to naturally increase in importance for some time during a teen's journey toward adulthood. Adolescence comprises nearly half of the growing period in man .With the beginning of adolescence growth rate rises sharply until a peak is reached and it is followed by a decline .One hundred and fifty adolescent boys of 13 to 15 years of age were selected from various govt. schools of district karnal and nutritional status was determined by anthropometric measurements and by clinical examination . Adolescent boys who had higher nutritional status were from educated families who belonged to nuclear family and had high economic status parents as compared to adolescents who had less educated parents, from low economic status and belonging to joint families . Dental caries, signs of vitamin B complex deficiency and night blindness were found to be prevailing nutritional deficiency signs noticed in the adolescent boys.
Keywords: Adolescence, anthropometric measurements, stress, nutritional status, diet