Kaushik Bose

Introduction. Adolescence period requires special supervision as these years link the impact of generational and early childhood factors to adult outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines 10-19 years as adolescence period, an important stage of growth and development in the lifespan of an individual. The present study assessed nutritional status among adolescents of two villages of Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India.

Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study of 443 (208 boys; 235 girls) rural high school students aged 10–15 years of Ajaya and Deulpota villages, Khejuri- I block, Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, India, was undertaken to evaluate their growth pattern and nutritional status. Anthropometric measurements, including height (cm), weight (kg), mid-upper arm circumference (cm), were measured following standard techniques. Stunting, underweight and thinness were used as indicators of nutritional status.

Results. The overall prevalence of stunting, underweight and thinness were 20.32%, 1.81% and 46.95%, respectively. The prevalence of stunting was similar in both sexes (20.67% in boys; 20.0% in girls). The prevalence of thinness was very high among the studied participants (46.63% in boys; 47.23% in girls). According to the WHO classification for assessing severity of malnutrition, the rate of stunting and under-weight were medium and low in both sexes, respectively. However, they had very high prevalence of thinness thus indicating a critical situation of undernutrition.

Conclusion. The nutritional status of these rural school going adolescents was not satisfactory. The existing prevalence of stunting and thinness among the studied population indicates chronic nutritional deficiency while the low prevalence of underweight reflects that the chronic food deprivation they have undergone was during childhood, not in recent period. Follow up studies and intervention of government schemes are required to ameliorate this problem. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Rapid life style changes are leading causes of increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks among people in India today. Despite the country’s high ethnic diversity, studies related to physiology and such health risks, particularly among the tribal populations have been limited.

Materials and methods. The present cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,434 tribal participants belonging to six tribes from the two states of West Bengal and Odisha. The aim of the present study was to understand the relationship of age (in years), sex and raised Body Mass Index (BMI) (kg/m²) with selected CVD risk factors among the six tribes of India.

Results. In the males, raised BMI (kg/m²) was found to influence CVD risks by significantly increasing the blood glucose among the age group (in years) of <40 years (Odds Ratio (OR)= 6.396, p≤ 0.05); isolated systolic hypertension among the age groups <40 years (OR= 2.387, p≤ 0.01) and ≥40 years (OR= 2.123, p≤ 0.05); isolated diastolic hypertension among the age groups <40 years (OR=4.74, p≤0.001) and >40 years (OR= 3.24, p≤ 0.001); hypertensive MAP among the age group <40 years (OR= 5.769, p≤ 0.001) and hypertensive blood pressure among the age groups <40 years (OR= 5.865, p≤ 0.01) and ≥40 years (OR= 3.127, p≤ 0.01).

Conclusion. Among females low BMI (kg/m²) was seen to be linked with higher CVD risk. Influence of BMI (kg/m²), age (in years) and sex on CVD risks can explain the increasing health threat among the tribal populations in India. Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) can be considered to correctly indicate the cardiovascular risks; particularly in case of the younger population. An increasing tendency towards a double burden of disease is evident in the studied populations. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Malnourishment plays a substantial role in the world's mortality rates, especially among old and children. Even though malnutrition mortality among adult women dropped greatly between 1990 and 2021, maternal health is still a matter of concern. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the nutritional status among adults belonging to four Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Chhattisgarh, India, through Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) as a major indicator.

Materials and Methods. The cross-sectional survey was carried out from 2020 to 2024 in 272 adult women belonging to the Abujhmadia, Baiga, Birhor, and Hill Korwa tribes. Prior to data collection, participant consent was received with the measurement of Mid-Upper Arm Circumference at the middle of the upper arm. Descriptive statistics and ANOVA tests were used for data analysis in comparing the mean Mid-Upper Arm Circumference in different age groups.

Results. The results indicated that the Abujhmadia cluster had the greatest prevalence of undernutrition at 82.7%, followed by Hill Korwa (77.3%), Baiga (75.5%), and Birhor (60%). Important age-specific patterns in the prevalence of undernutrition were observed, especially within the 18-27 age groups.

Discussion. Mid-upper arm circumference is a valid and affordable tool for determining nutritional status in low-resource environments. It brings to light the nutritional plight of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), necessitating the implementation of specific public health interventions to tackle these problems.

Conclusion. The findings of the study highlight the need for immediate nutritional intervention programs for PVTGs in Chhattisgarh. Identification of their special nutritional needs can considerably enhance health outcomes and mitigate malnutrition in these vulnerable groups.

Acknowledgments. The authors appreciate the time taken by the female participants for participating in this study. We also appreciate the administrative help from the community workers, panchayat staff of all four communities. Authors were also thankful to University administration for their continuous motivation and promotion of research.