Diet & nutrition profile of Chenchu population - A vulnerable tribe in Telangana & Andhra Pradesh, India.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Earlier studies have documented high prevalence of undernutrition, morbidity and mortality among Chenchus, a tribal population in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, India. The present study was carried out to assess diet and nutritional status of Chenchus and cause of death. METHODS: A total of 42 Chenchu villages (gudems) were covered using systematic random sampling procedure. In each gudem, all the households with at least one child under the age of five years were covered for various investigations. Weighment diet survey was carried out on a sub-sample of households. In addition, information on cause of death in the selected 42 gudems was collected for past one year using verbal autopsy method. RESULTS: A total of 1396 subjects of all age groups were covered for various investigations. The intakes of food and nutrients were lower than the recommended levels. The prevalences of underweight, stunting and wasting among under five children were 42 per cent (CI: 37.9-46.1), 53 and 13 per cent, respectively, while 41 per cent (CI: 37.8-47.2) men and 42 per cent (34.4-47.8) women had chronic energy deficiency (BMI<18.5 kg/m [2] ). Sixty eight deaths were reported during the past one year in 42 Chenchu gudems. The major causes of death were premature delivery, low birth weight, alcoholic cirrhosis of liver, accidents, snakebite and pulmonary tuberculosis. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of undernutrition in Chenchu population was comparable with other tribal and rural counterparts in Andhra Pradesh, however, the crude death rate (11.7/1000) was higher among the Chenchus. Steps may be taken to promote consumption of balanced diet and utilization of optimal healthcare facilities to control morbidity and mortality.

Socio-economic & demographic determinants of hypertension & knowledge, practices & risk behaviour of tribals in India.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: An increase in prevalence of hypertension has been observed in all ethnic groups in India. The objective of the present study was to estimate prevalence and determinants of hypertension among tribals and their awareness, treatment practices and risk behaviours in nine States of India. METHODS: A community based cross-sectional study adopting multistage random sampling procedure was carried out. About 120 Integrated Tribal Development Authority villages were selected randomly from each State. From each village, 40 households were covered randomly. All men and women ≥ 20 yr of age in the selected households were included for various investigations. RESULTS: A total of 21141 men and 26260 women participated in the study. The prevalence of hypertension after age adjustment was 27.1 and 26.4 per cent among men and women, respectively. It was higher in the s0 tates of Odisha (50-54.4%) and Kerala (36.7-45%) and lowest in Gujarat (7-11.5%). The risk of hypertension was 6-8 times higher in elderly people and 2-3 times in 35-59 yr compared with 20-34 yr. Only <10 per cent of men and women were known hypertensives and more than half on treatment (55-68%). Men with general and abdominal obesity were at 1.69 (CI: 1.43-2.01) and 2.42 (CI: 2.01-2.91) times higher risk of hypertension, respectively, while it was 2.03 (CI=1.77-2.33) and 2.35 (CI 2.12-2.60) times higher in women. Those using tobacco and consuming alcohol were at a higher risk of hypertension compared with the non users. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed high prevalence of hypertension among tribals in India. Age, literacy, physical activity, consumption of tobacco, alcohol and obesity were significantly associated with hypertension. Awareness and knowledge about hypertension and health seeking behaviour were low. Appropriate intervention strategies need to be adopted to increase awareness and treatment practices of hypertension among tribals.

Correlation of Fat Mass Index and Fat-Free Mass Index with percentage body fat and their association with hypertension among urban South Indian adult men and women.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of Fat Mass and Fat-Free Mass indices provides valuable information about changes in body composition. AIM: To identify cut-off points for Fat Mass Index (FMI) to predict an upper limit of percentage body fat of men (25%) and women (30%) for defining obesity and its association with hypertension. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 436 men and 596 women were included in the study. Fat mass was calculated using skin-fold measurements. FMI cut-off points to predict an upper limit of percentage body fat of 25% (men) and 30% (women) for defining obesity were assessed using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: ROC curve analysis indicated that the level of FMI was 6.59 kg/m(2) in men and 6.64 kg/m(2) in women at 25% and 30% body fat, respectively. Risk estimation for hypertension with FMI indicated high risk of hypertension in men (OR: 3.4, CI: 2.1-5.5) as well as in women (OR: 5.3, CI: 2.3-12.4). CONCLUSION: The level of FMI was 6.6 kg/m(2) in men and women predicted at upper limits of 25% and 30% body fat, respectively, for defining obesity.

Diet and nutritional status of rural preschool children in Punjab.

OBJECTIVE: To assess diet and nutritional profile of rural preschool children of Punjab. STUDY DESIGN: Multistage random sampling method was adopted by following probability proportion to population size (PPS). SUBJECT: Four hundred households (HH) were covered in each district of Punjab for socio-economic and demographic information. All the available individuals from these HHs were included for anthropometry and clinical examination. Every fourth household was covered for 24-hour recall method of diet survey (individual dietary intake). RESULTS: At the state level, the intake of macro and micronutrient rich foods such as cereals, pulses and green leafy vegetables, milk and milk products and fats and oils were lower than the RDI among preschool children. Except for protein, calcium and thiamine, the mean intake of all the nutrients was lower than the recommended level. About a half of the preschool children (50.3%) were undernourished (> 2SD weight for age); 60% were stunted (> 2SD height for age) and 12% were wasted (> 2SD weight for height). The extent of undernutrition and stunting was lower than that reported for the country. There was significant variation in the prevalence of severe stunting between the districts (p < 0.001), with the highest being observed in the Rupnagar (55%) and the lowest in Hoshiarpur and Sangrur (30% each). CONCLUSION: Despite, the reported high rates of economic growth and food production in the state, a higher proportion of preschool children were consuming diets, which are inadequate with respect to energy, fat, iron, riboflavin, vitamin A and vitamin C. The prevalence of undernutrition was high as was found in other states.