Table 2. Nutritional status of adolescents (15–19 years) subjected to anthropometry in NFHS-3 (N = 35,570).
| Population | Sex | N | Mean BAZ (SD) | Mean HAZ (SD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | Overall | 35,570 | -0.87 (1.08) | -1.51 (0.93) |
| Boys* | 12,635 | -1.17 (1.14) | -1.38 (0.99) | |
| Girls* | 22,935 | -0.71 (1.01) | -1.58 (0.89) | |
| Residence | ||||
| Urban† | Overall | 16,146 | -0.81 (1.16) | -1.42 (0.95) |
| Boys* | 6,231 | -1.07 (1.22) | -1.27 (0.99) | |
| Girls* | 9,915 | -0.65 (1.09) | -1.51 (0.90) | |
| Rural† | Overall | 19,424 | -0.93 (1.01) | -1.58 (0.92) |
| Boys* | 6,404 | -1.26 (1.06) | -1.48 (0.97) | |
| Girls* | 13,020 | -0.76 (0.94) | -1.63 (0.88) | |
| Wealth Index^ | ||||
| Poorest | Overall | 3,764 | -1.06 (0.94) | -1.82 (0.91) |
| Boys | 1,181 | -1.42 (1.0) | -1.72 (0.98) | |
| Girls | 2,583 | -0.89 (0.86) | -1.87 (0.87) | |
| Poorer | Overall | 5,311 | -1.01 (0.97) | -1.73 (0.9) |
| Boys | 1,846 | -1.34 (1.01) | -1.65 (0.96) | |
| Girls | 3,465 | -0.83 (0.9) | -1.77 (0.86) | |
| Middle | Overall | 7,580 | -0.94 (1.03) | -1.62 (0.88) |
| Boys | 2,717 | -1.27 (1.07) | -1.54 (0.94) | |
| Girls | 4,863 | -0.76 (0.97) | -1.66 (0.85) | |
| Richer | Overall | 9,067 | -0.89 (1.07) | -1.49 (0.91) |
| Boys | 3,255 | -1.19 (1.11) | -1.37 (0.95) | |
| Girls | 5,812 | 0.72 (1.01) | -1.56 (0.87) | |
| Richest | Overall | 9,848 | -0.66 (1.19) | -1.2 (0.93) |
| Boys | 3,636 | -0.90 (1.27) | -1.01 (0.96) | |
| Girls | 6,212 | -0.52 (1.12) | -1.31 (0.90) | |
N = numbers with plausible anthropometric measurements available; BAZ = BMI-for-age z-score; HAZ = Height-for-age z-score; The BMI for age and Height for age z scores are based on the 2007 WHO Growth Reference. Independent t-test for BAZ and HAZ
*boys and girls: p < 0.001
†urban and rural: p<0.001
^ ANOVA for BAZ and HAZ for wealth quintiles: p<0.001.