Nutritional Status among Females of Bhaina Tribe of Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India: An Anthropological Insight

Problem of malnutrition increases, being one of the significant national issues in a developing country like India. In the present study, an attempt was made to understand the sociodemographic profile and nutritional status among the Bhaina tribes of Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. A total of 161 females (2–75 years) were screened for anthropometric measurements. Nutritional status was evaluated in four groups of female categories: preschool: 2–5 years (n=11), children: 6#x2013;12 years (n=28), adolescent: 13–18 years (n=22), and adults >18 years (n=100) using the age specific cutoff points of body mass index (BMI). Statistical analysis was performed using MS EXCEL and SPSS software. More than 30% of the studied population is observed to be illiterate and unemployed. Significant age group difference is observed for anthropometric variables considered in the present study. Overall prevalence of thinness among the studied population was 32.3% (critical). Occurrence of thinness was found to be highest among children (57.1%). Occupation with wage labourer is significantly higher among parents of normal children (26.6%) than parents of undernourished children (19.6%). Findings of the present study suggest significance of anthropological approach in understanding nutritional status among different ethnic groups, specifically tribal community