Variations in some nutritional status indicators among students in the University of Colombo

Data related to socio-economic status and some indicators of nutritional status were obtained from 769 students who gained admission to the four faculties in the University of Colombo in 1981. The nutritional status indicators studied were height, weight, weight far height, haemoglobin concentration and age at menarche. Students from different faculties differed markedly in their socio-economic background, as well as in their nutritional status. The students from the Faculty of Medicine, o larger proportion of whom were from higher socio-economic groupings had better anthropometric parameters, lower prevalence of anaemia and a lower mean age at menarche compared to the students from the other faculties, the worse affected being students from the Faculty of Arts. The high prevalence of anaemia observed among this apparently healthy young adults was of special significance.