ICMR-NIN develops simple dietary screening tool to detect micronutrient deficiency risk in children
HYDERABAD: Researchers at the National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) have developed a simple dietary screening questionnaire to assess diet diversity and identify school-age children at risk of micronutrient deficiencies.
The findings, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, come at a time when deficiencies of essential vitamins and minerals remain a major public health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries such as India.
Micronutrient deficiencies, including those of iron, calcium, vitamin B12 and vitamin A, can affect children’s growth, immunity, cognitive development and academic performance even when there are no visible signs of malnutrition.
The tool builds on the ICMR Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024, which recommend consuming a variety of foods to ensure adequate nutrient intake. Researchers developed a Diet Diversity Score (DDS) specifically for Indian children aged six to 10 years.
Context-specific food groups improve assessment
The study created a 13-food-group scoring system based on foods commonly consumed by Indian children and grouped them according to their micronutrient content.
Foods rich in vitamin A, including green leafy vegetables, carrots, capsicum, onion stalk, papaya and mango, were classified separately to improve the tool’s ability to detect micronutrient inadequacy.
“The parents of the children can replace their regional foods in the 13 food group chart. For example, in some places spinach is commonly consumed, while in others fenugreek leaves are more familiar. They can also substitute fruits accordingly,” said Dr Subba Rao M Gavaravarapu, Scientist at ICMR-NIN, who led the study.
“Diet diversity is one of the most practical indicators of diet quality. By converting complex dietary assessment into an easy-to-use scoring tool, this DDS offers a promising approach to identify children at risk of micronutrient inadequacy and supports timely nutrition interventions,” he added.
Children consuming 10 food groups had better nutrient intake
A key feature of the tool is the use of a minimum intake threshold of five grams per food group, allowing it to capture even small but nutritionally meaningful quantities of food.
Researchers found a significant correlation between the Diet Diversity Score, overall micronutrient adequacy and haemoglobin levels.
According to the study, children consuming foods from at least 10 of the 13 food groups, with a minimum intake of five grams from each group, were significantly more likely to achieve diets meeting at least 70 per cent of their daily micronutrient requirements.
Dr Bharati Kulkarni, Director of ICMR-NIN, said the screening tool could support school health programmes, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), teachers, parents, nutritionists and public health professionals in quickly assessing children’s dietary quality.
“However, further multicentric validation across diverse regions and food environments in India is essential before large-scale implementation,” she said.
