Nutrition Education for Adolescents

Adolescence is a transition period between childhood and adulthood. It lasts from about 11 or 12 years until the late teens or early twenties and it entail major, interrelated changes in all the realms of development. . Adolescent period of childs life is of great importance. . The term adolescence comes from the Latin verb adolescere, which simply means to grow, or to grow to maturity. NCERT (1999) defined adolescence as a period of physical, psychological, emotional and social maturity from childhood to adulthood. As children mature into adults, they must acquire a range of interrelated knowledge and skills that will allow them to lead fulfilled and constructive lives. These skills are critical to helping young people stay healthy, learn, acquire a job or livelihood, and participate fully in society. A new task of adolescence is preparation for adulthood. Indeed the future of any culture hinges on the effectiveness of preparation. Adolescence is a key time from a nutritional standpoint. For many adolescents both boys and girls the lack of adequate quality and quantity of food is a prime cause of nutrition problems.