Nutritional, Mental, and Social Well-being of Hearing- and Visually Impaired Adolescents: A Comparative Study

Adolescents with sensory impairments often experience nutritional deficiencies, psychological stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and social anxiety.This study compared the nutritional, mental, and social well-being of 80 hearing-impaired (HI) and 77 visually impaired (VI) adolescents from urban and rural schools for the deaf and blind in Chennai and Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu.Data were collected using sociodemographic information, anthropometric measures, 24-hour dietary recall, and modified depression anxiety stress scale youth version (DASS-Y) and social phobia inventory (SPIN) scales, respectively, for mental and social well-being.The findings showed that most participants were male, firstborn, and had congenital impairments.The average body mass index was normal (21.04 2.35), with rural adolescents and VI participants showing higher waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (1.09 0.19) and triceps skinfold thickness measures (18.0 0.37).Visually impaired adolescents consumed more calories (3099 142) and carbohydrates (431 13) but fewer other nutrients.Urban HI and rural VI adolescents had better nutrient intake.Severe depression (17.1%), anxiety (21.6%), and stress (16.0%) were more prevalent among the VI participants, while HI participants reported poorer social well-being (17.20 2.45).Urban adolescents experienced higher stress (22.81 12.05) and lower social well-being (19.33 1.41) than their rural peers.The study highlights the need for tailored nutritional plans, psychological and social support, and an enhanced role for counselors and psychologists to assist sensory-impaired adolescents.