How much energy is required daily for a working woman?

Appeared in: Punjab CHO - 2021

Explanation

The term 'working woman' in this context implies a moderate level of physical activity.
According to the ICMR 2010 guidelines, the daily energy requirement for a woman engaged in moderate work is approximately 2230 k.Cal.
The option 2220 k.Cal is the closest value to this official recommendation, making it the correct answer.
While newer 2020 guidelines suggest 2130 kcal, 2220 kcal remains the standard answer in many exams based on the 2010 data.

Option A: 1800 k.Cal is an insufficient amount of energy, even for a woman with a sedentary lifestyle, whose requirement is around 1900 k.Cal.
Option B: 1900 k.Cal is the recommended daily energy intake for a woman with a sedentary lifestyle, not a moderate one.
Option D: 2550 k.Cal is significantly higher than the requirement for a moderate worker and lower than that for a heavy worker. It does not align with standard ICMR categories.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Daily energy requirements for adults based on activity level as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses must understand nutritional requirements to provide effective dietary counseling to patients, promoting health and preventing lifestyle diseases like obesity and malnutrition.
Assessing a patient's daily physical activity level is a crucial part of a comprehensive nursing assessment, as it directly impacts their metabolic and nutritional needs, especially for diet planning in a hospital setting.
What if the woman was pregnant? Her requirement would increase by an additional 350 kcal/day on top of her baseline needs for moderate work (2230 + 350 = 2580 kcal/day) to support fetal growth.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key subject of the question: a 'working woman'.
Recognize that in the context of nutrition and energy questions, 'working' is typically a synonym for a 'moderate' activity level.
Recall the standard daily energy requirements for Indian adults as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines.
Focus on the value for a woman with a moderate activity level, which is approximately 2230 k.Cal (based on 2010 data commonly used in exams).
Compare this value to the given options.
Select the option that most closely matches the guideline, which is 2220 k.Cal.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 2 — Subpart A (pp 1-232 of 464) p. 168-170

E6 textbook of Applied Biochemistry and Nutrition & DieteticsHarbans Lal (pp 26-464 of 479) p. 260-262

E6 Nutrition Kumud Khanna 2e p. 62-64

Practise the full Punjab CHO - 2021

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.