What is the recommended daily intake of calcium for an adolescent in the age group of 12-18 years?

Appeared in: PGICH Noida NO-2025

Explanation

The recommended daily intake of calcium for adolescents aged 9-18 years is 1300 mg.
This higher requirement is due to the rapid increase in bone mass and skeletal growth that occurs during the adolescent growth spurt.
Adequate calcium intake during this period is critical for achieving peak bone mass, which helps prevent osteoporosis in later life.

Option B: 830 mg is an insufficient daily calcium intake for an adolescent. This amount is closer to the recommendation for younger children (4-8 years), which is 800 mg/day.
Option C: 1050 mg is less than the recommended amount for adolescents. It is closer to the RDA for adults (1000 mg/day) or specific sub-groups within adolescence in some regional charts, but not the overall recommendation for peak bone growth.
Option D: 380 mg is a severely inadequate amount of calcium for an adolescent and would lead to deficiency. This level of intake is not recommended for any age group past early infancy.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Calcium as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses play a vital role in educating adolescents and their families about nutritional needs, including adequate calcium intake, to promote lifelong bone health.
Assessing dietary habits and counseling on food choices or supplementation can help prevent future health problems like osteoporosis.
What if the adolescent is lactose intolerant? The nurse should recommend alternative calcium sources such as fortified soy or almond milk, leafy greens, and calcium-fortified juices or cereals to ensure they meet the 1300 mg/day requirement.

How to Approach the Question

Identify the key components of the question: the nutrient (calcium) and the specific population (adolescents, 12-18 years).
This is a factual recall question that requires knowledge of Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs).
Recall the specific RDA for calcium for the adolescent age group.
Compare the recalled value with the given options to select the correct answer.
Note that adolescence is a period of peak bone mass accumulation, so the calcium requirement will be higher than for adults or younger children.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Calcium
Stem keywords: calcium, daily intake, adolescent, 12-18 years
Lead-in keywords: What is
Clinical cues: Age group: 12-18 years, which is a key period for bone mass development.

QD4SnUl7UNEYkz-2e2g98M

E6 Medicine Harrison 22e Part 2 p. 1205-1207

E6 Textbook of Biochemistry for medical StudentsDM Vasudevan Part 2 — Subpart A (pp 1-239 of 478) p. 196-198

Practise the full PGICH Noida NO-2025

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