{"id":366334,"date":"2026-06-29T20:38:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T15:08:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=366334"},"modified":"2026-06-29T20:38:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T15:08:38","slug":"how-schools-can-tackle-adolescent-malnutrition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/how-schools-can-tackle-adolescent-malnutrition\/","title":{"rendered":"How schools can tackle adolescent malnutrition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: The post \u201cHow schools can tackle adolescent malnutrition\u201d<\/strong> has been created based on “How schools can tackle adolescent malnutrition\u201d, published in \u201cThe Hindu\u201d on 29th June 2026.<\/p>\n

UPSC Syllabus: GS 2- Polity & Governance<\/p>\n

Context<\/strong>: Adolescent malnutrition has emerged as a major public health challenge in India. According to the NFHS-6 (2023\u201324)<\/strong>, obesity and high blood sugar levels are rising rapidly among both men and women. At the same time, undernutrition continues to persist. Since unhealthy dietary habits and lifestyle-related diseases often begin during adolescence, schools are the most important institutions for preventive interventions.<\/p>\n

Reasons behind\u00a0 adolescent malnutrition being a serious concern<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. India is experiencing a double burden of malnutrition<\/strong>, where persistent undernutrition coexists with rising obesity and metabolic disorders.<\/li>\n
  2. According to NFHS-6 (2023\u201324)<\/strong>, obesity among women increased from 24% to 30.7%<\/strong>, while obesity among men increased from 22.9% to 27.3%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  3. The prevalence of high blood sugar also increased from 15.6% to 20.9%<\/strong> among men and from 13.5% to 17.8%<\/strong> among women.<\/li>\n
  4. Lifestyle changes such as sedentary behaviour, consumption of processed foods, stress, and reduced physical activity<\/strong> are no longer confined to urban areas and are increasingly affecting rural populations.<\/li>\n
  5. According to the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS), 2019<\/strong>, 27.4% of Indian adolescents are stunted<\/strong>, while obesity is increasing, especially among urban youth.<\/li>\n
  6. India is also witnessing the “thin-fat phenotype,”<\/strong> in which children appear lean but possess a high metabolic risk that increases their chances of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases later in life.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Ways in which schools can tackle adolescent malnutrition<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Promoting healthy dietary habits<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n
      1. Schools should improve the nutritional quality of Mid-Day Meals<\/strong> and ensure that balanced meals are provided to students.<\/li>\n
      2. Schools should establish healthier canteens and organise food demonstrations to teach students how to prepare balanced meals.<\/li>\n
      3. Schools should encourage students to follow the Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024<\/strong>, which recommend that half of the plate should consist of fruits and vegetables.<\/li>\n
      4. Schools should promote the regular consumption of milk, dairy products green leafy vegetables, fruits, and protein-rich foods.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
          \n
        1. Creating healthy food environments<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
            \n
          1. Schools should develop school gardens<\/strong>, organise fruit breaks, and encourage the use of locally available seasonal foods to normalise healthy eating habits.<\/li>\n
          2. Schools should reduce students’ dependence on cereal-heavy diets by promoting diversified and nutritious food choices.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
              \n
            1. Reducing sugar and Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                \n
              1. Schools should discourage the consumption of sugary beverages, High Fat, Sugar and Salt (HFSS) foods, and Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs).<\/li>\n
              2. Schools should display sugar boards<\/strong> that reveal the hidden sugar content of commonly consumed foods and beverages.<\/li>\n
              3. Schools should establish UPF-free school zones<\/strong> and conduct continuous awareness programmes instead of one-time campaigns.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                4. Encouraging physical activity<\/strong><\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Schools should make sports and structured physical activity an essential part of the curriculum rather than treating them as optional activities.<\/li>\n
                2. Schools should reduce sedentary and screen-based lifestyles by ensuring regular physical exercise for all students.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  5. Improving nutrition literacy<\/strong><\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. Schools should teach students how to read food labels, understand portion sizes, identify misleading food advertisements, and develop basic cooking skills.<\/li>\n
                  2. Nutrition education should focus on developing lifelong healthy eating habits through practical learning.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    Policy measures required <\/strong><\/h2>\n
                      \n
                    1. The Let’s Fix Our Food (LFOF)<\/strong> initiative should be strengthened to promote healthier school food environments.<\/li>\n
                    2. The government should regulate the advertising of HFSS foods targeted at children and adolescents.<\/li>\n
                    3. Taxes should be imposed on unhealthy sugary beverages to discourage excessive consumption.<\/li>\n
                    4. A comprehensive school nutrition curriculum should be introduced across educational institutions.<\/li>\n
                    5. Nutrition literacy programmes should be strengthened through evidence-based public health policies and multi-stakeholder collaboration.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                      Conclusion<\/strong>: Schools should not function merely as centres of education but should also become public health-promoting institutions<\/strong>. By improving nutrition, encouraging physical activity, strengthening nutrition literacy, and creating healthier food environments, schools can significantly reduce adolescent malnutrition and prevent the future burden of non-communicable diseases in India.<\/p>\n

                      Question: India is facing a double burden of malnutrition among adolescents. Discuss how schools can play a transformative role in addressing this challenge.<\/p>\n

                      Source: The Hindu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      Source: The post \u201cHow schools can tackle adolescent malnutrition\u201d has been created based on “How schools can tackle adolescent malnutrition\u201d, published in \u201cThe Hindu\u201d on 29th June 2026. UPSC Syllabus: GS 2- Polity & Governance Context: Adolescent malnutrition has emerged as a major public health challenge in India. According to the NFHS-6 (2023\u201324), obesity and… Continue reading How schools can tackle adolescent malnutrition<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230],"tags":[300,212,225,10498],"class_list":["post-366334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","tag-governance","tag-gs-paper-2","tag-polity","tag-the-hindu","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366334\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}