Effect of Finger Millet (Ragi) Consumption on Haemoglobin Level among Adolescent Girls of Jalaun District, Uttar Pradesh, India
Rajkumari
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Jalaun, Banda University of Agriculture & Technology, Banda, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Pragya Ojha *
Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Banda), Banda University of Agriculture & Technology, Banda, India.
Pankaj Kumar Ojha
*
Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Banda University of Agriculture & Technology, Banda, India.
Sarita Devi
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Lalitpur, Banda University of Agriculture & Technology, Banda, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Abhishek Kumar Yadav
Department of Basic & Social Sciences, College of Horticulture, Banda University of Agriculture & Technology, Banda, Uttar Pradesh, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The adolescent years are a golden opportunity to tackle nutritional deficiencies, especially in rural Jalaun District, where anaemia is rampant among adolescent girls due to poverty and limited healthcare access. Finger millet, or ragi, a drought-resistant, iron-rich cereal, was studied to see its impact on haemoglobin levels and BMI in 60 girls aged 13–16 from Rura Mallu Gram and Kukargoan. Split into two groups, the experimental group ate 50 grams of ragi porridge twice daily for 90 days, while the control group didn’t. The results were striking: the ragi group’s haemoglobin jumped significantly from 10.5 g% to 11.5 g% (t-value 5.59, p<0.05), unlike the control group’s slight, non-significant rise from 9.5 g% to 9.9 g%. No BMI changes were noted in either group. Affordable and nutritious, ragi—whether as porridge, roti, or dumplings—proved a game-changer for fighting anaemia, calling for greater awareness to make it a dietary staple for healthier futures.
Keywords: Adolescence, body mass index, haemoglobin, nutrition, ragi