Mithu Bhadra

Anthropometric Assessment of Nutritional Status of Adolescents of Kolkata, West Bengal

Abstract A cross-sectional study of 559 Bengalee adolescents (314 boys and 245 girls) of North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, was undertaken to study their age and sex differences in nutritional status. The subjects were classified into four age groups with one-year intervals. Individuals falling below the age and sex specific fifth percentile of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I) were defined as undernourished. The overall rate of undernutrition was 36.49%. Regardless of sex, the rate of undernutrition progressively increased from 31.88% to 39.80% with the advancement of age. However, a clear-cut age variations in the change of the rate of undernutrition have been observed in both the sexes. The prevalence of undernutrition (combining all ages) varied between boys (41.08%) and girls (30.61%). In general, this study provided evidence that the Bengalee adolescents had moderate rates of undernutrition. These rates were, in general, lower than those reported in other developing countries including previous Indian studies.

Undernutrition among adult Bengalees of Dearah, Hooghly District, West Bengal, India: Relationship with educational status and food habit

A cross-sectional study of 1203 adult (> 18 years of age) Bengalees of Dearah, Hooghly District, West Bengal, India, was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of undernutrition and the relationship of educational level and food habit with undernutrition. Height and weight were measured and body mass index (BMI) computed following the standard equation. A BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 was classified as undernutrition or chronic energy deficiency (CED) as per World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. The public health problem of low BMI in this population was classified according to the WHO criteria. Educational status was coded as: no formal education, 1-8 years of schooling and > 8 years of schooling. Food habit was recorded as vegetarian or non-vegetarian. The mean ages of males and females were (39.6 +/- 15.0 years) and (39.6 +/- 15.0 years), respectively. There were significant (p < 0.001) sex differences in mean height and weight; both sexes had a similar BMI. The overall (sex combined) prevalence of undernutrition was 27.7%. The frequency of undernutrition was significantly (p < 0.001) higher among females (31.7%) compared to males (23.6%). According to the WHO classification of low BMI, the prevalence of CED was high (20-39%) indicating a serious situation. There existed a significant (p < 0.001) relationship between the level of formal education and nutritional status. Overall, the frequencies of CED (43.5%) were much higher than overweight (7.0%) among subjects with no formal education. The frequencies of CED and overweight among subjects with 1-8 years of formal education were 25.7% and 9.7%, respectively. Similarly, significantly (p < 0.001) higher rates of CED were found among subjects with no formal education in both sexes (males = 39.5%; females = 45.6%) compared to the presence of overweight (males = 1.8%; females = 9.8%). Sex-combined frequency of undernutrition was significantly (p < 0.001) higher among vegetarians (48.3%) compared with non-vegetarians (25.5%). The respective frequencies of overweight were 1.7% and 12.8%. This significant (p < 0.001) trend existed in both sexes with 46.9% male and 49.3% female vegetarians having CED. The corresponding figures for overweight among vegetarians were 0.0% and 2.9%, respectively. The rates of CED were significantly (p < 0.001) lower among non-vegetarians (males = 21.5%; females = 29.6%). Non-vegetarians had significantly higher rates of overweight in both males (8.7%) and females (16.9%). Multiple regression analysis revealed that both educational status as well as food habit had significant effect on BMI in both sexes. In general, the educational status had a stronger impact (males: t = 6.356, females: t = 5.017) than food habit (males: t = 3.373; females: t = 2.763) on BMI. This significant impact remained even after controlling for the effect of age. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that adult Bengalees of Dearah were under serious nutritional stress indicating a public health problem. In addition, a strong inverse relationship existed between educational level and CED. Moreover, vegetarianism was significantly associated with CED. Urgent public health measures are required, particularly among females, to reduce the high prevalence of CED in this population. Similar studies should be conducted in other parts of West Bengal before any general conclusions can be inferred about the relationship between educational status, food habit and CED in the state.

Prevalence of undernutrition among pre-school children of Chapra, Nadia District, West Bengal, India, measured by composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF)

Since independence, one of the greatest problems facing India is malnutrition among under five year old children. However, there exists scanty information of the prevalence of undernutrition among preschool children in India and West Bengal. The present cross-sectional study investigates the prevalence of undernutrition among children 3.0-5.9 years old in a rural area of West Bengal covered by the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) using Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF). Randomly selected sixty six ICDS centres of the Chapra Block Nadia District, West Bengal, India, were chosen. A total of 2016 children, aged 3.0-5.9 years were studied. It was observed that boys were heavier and taller than girls at all ages. Significant age differences existed in mean height and weight in boys as well as in girls. Among the children, 48.20%, 10.60% and 48.30% were stunting, wasted and underweight, respectively. The CIAF showed a higher prevalence of undernutrition, with 60.40% of the studied children suffering from anthropometric failure, in comparison to the three other conventional indicators. We conclude that the nutritional status of the subjects is unsatisfactory. More studies dealing with CIAF should be undertaken among pre-school children from different parts of India. Such investigations will allow us not only to compare the rates of three conventional measures of undernutrition with CIAF, but also help to demonstrate the enhanced utility and effectiveness of the latter measure.

Anthropometric profile and chronic energy deficiency among adult santal tribals of jhargram, west medinipur district, West Bengal, India : Comparison with other tribal populations of eastern India

A cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine anthropometric profile and the prevalence of chronic energy deficiency (CED), based on body mass index (BMI) of adult Santals, a tribal population of Jhargram, West Medinipur District, West Bengal, India. A total of 410 adult (aged > 18 years) Santals of six villages (Jharagaria, Jamiderdanga, Jamda, Jaynagar, Chapashol, and Lukudahi) near Jhargram town of West Medinipur District, West Bengal, India, were studied. These villages are located within 15 km. (approximately) from Jhargram town and 150 km. from Kolkata, the provincial capital of West Bengal. Anthropometric measurements including height, weight, and circumferences as well as BMI were measured using standard protocol. Overall, the extent of CED (BMI < 18.5) was found to be very high (36.8%). The prevalence of CED was higher in women (41.8%) compared to men (31.5%), although this difference was statistically not significant. Using the World Health Organization criterion (WHO, 1995) the prevalence of CED was high and the situation was serious in men. Among women, CED prevalence was very high and the situation was critical. However, compared to some other tribes of eastern India, adult Santals had better anthropometric and nutritional profile. The authors would like to thank all subjects who participated in the study. In conclusion, this study provided evidence that although the anthropometric and nutritional profile of adult Santals was better than some of the other tribal populations of eastern India, immediate appropriate nutritional intervention programs are needed for implementation among Santals.

Relative fat distribution in relation to menarcheal status among Bengalee Hindu girls of West Bengal, India.

Background: Menarche seems be related to the relative distribution rather than the total amount of body fat. Previous studies showed that the ratio between lower-body vs. upper-body fat was associated with the timing of menarche. Aim: To compare the relative distribution of subcutaneous fat among Bengali Hindu pre- and post-menarcheal girls. Materials and Methods: The participants were 234 Bengali Hindu girls aged 11-14 years: 111 pre-menarcheal and 123 post-menarcheal girls, randomly selected from a secondary school from a suburb of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Triceps, abdominal, sub-scapular, and calf skinfolds were measured. For each skinfold site, ratio was calculated as follows: Log (one skinfold/sum of skinfolds). Principal components (PC) analysis was performed to derive components which express the maximum contrast among the log of ratios. T-test was employed to assess differences between individual scores of components between pre- and post-menarcheal girls. Results: The three identified PC suggested extremities-trunk, lower trunk-upper trunk, and an upper extremity-lower extremity contrasts, respectively. Scores for second and third components showed significant differences between pre- and post-menarcheal groups of girls. Conclusion: The attainment of menarche by Bengali girls aged 11-14 years was associated with characteristically more relative subcutaneous fat distribution in the upper trunk and in the lower limbs, in contrast to lower trunk and upper limbs, respectively.