An assessment of the current food intake and nutritional status among adolescent girls was carried out on 1202 female students at secondary and high schools in Duy Tien (Ha Nam province). The results have shown that:

1. Food consumption of the female adolescent students, especially of the younger group, did not meet the requirements recommended by the National Institute of Nutrition, in term of both quantity and quality.

2. Their nutritional anthropometric measurements were much lower in comparison with the NCHS reference population; the prevalence of underweight and stunting among them was 21.1% and 33.7%, respectively. Those rates were higher in the younger adolescent group. The prevalence of overweight was minor (0.4%).

3. The development and completion of maturity were delayed (average menarche age was 14.4 ± 1.04; Signs of secondary sexual features had not appeared in almost all of younger adolescents, while the prevalence of older adolescents with no signs of the developed breasts and pubic hair was up to 11.8% and 4.2%, respectively). The retarded physical growth and delayed development of the secondary sex features among the study subjects reflected the consequences of diet not meeting with the needs of growth and development during the adolescent period.