| Date 20-Apr-2021 to 20-Apr-2021 |
Location Virtual |
Format Institutional |
Under the project, ‘Our Health, Our Voice’, PRIA held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on the issue of “Nutrition” with mothers of adolescents living in urban informal settlements in Gurugram.
The discussion was organised on the afternoon of April 20, 2021, around three questions:
The FGD began by acknowledging each mother’s role in ensuring the nutrition needs of their adolescent children are met. They all said they did the cooking in the household and shared what kind of food they typically prepared for their children.
With the Chaitra Navratri in April, most mothers have been serving their families “vrat ka khana” like aloo, poori, and halwa―a popular fasting-period meal. Outside of the festival, the average meal they prepare consists of vegetables, daals, and chawal. The children are also served non-vegetarian food once or twice a week, though they often demand more. They noted how children often also demanded fast food from outside like momos
For higher nutrition value, the mothers also said they bought their children fruits and made them consume milk and dahi. When they were shown the following chart, they were able to identify foods in each group.
The FGD revealed that the mothers had a good understanding of what constitutes a nutritious diet and tried their best to provide it. However, there are many food items that are too expensive: dry fruits and nuts (cashews, almonds), paneer, and higher-priced fruits (apples, mangoes, and grapes), to name a few.
The COVID-19 pandemic hampered their ability to provide complete nutrition during the various curfews and lockdown periods. A lack of information, in general, was also raised as a concern by the mothers; none of the women remember anyone coming to tell them anything.
One participant said she had only ever seen government health workers come to educate pregnant mothers and tell them what to eat, but there had so far been nothing about what adolescents need to eat.
