Rajesh K. Gautam

Body Mass Index and Chronic Energy Deficiency of Adult Males of Central Indian Populations

ABSTRACT Data on body weight, height, and sitting height from 11,496 adult males, age 18–62 years, belonging to 38 different populations of five major social groups (scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, “other backward castes,” general castes, and Muslims) of Central India were taken for our analysis to assess the nutritional status of these groups. Cormic index and body mass index (BMI) were computed, and an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out among different populations as well as among social groups separately on Cormic index and BMI. Shape, size, and generalized distances among the different social groups were computed and dendro-grams were drawn. The level of malnutrition is the lowest among the general castes. The opposite is the case with the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Comparison of the coefficient of variation shows that there is variation in weight and BMI but that there is no marked variation in the other anthropometric variables. The ANOVA on Cormic index and BMI suggests that the people within a population are more homogeneous than the people between populations. There is a positive but statistically insignificant correlation between Cormic index and BMI. The five social groups differ more in size distance than in shape distance. According to the dendrogram of generalized distance values, the Muslims and the general castes can be grouped into one cluster and the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and other backward castes can be grouped into another cluster.

OPPORTUNITY FOR NATURAL SELECTION AMONG THE INDIAN POPULATION: SECULAR TREND, COVARIATES AND IMPLICATIONS

Crows index is widely used for indirect quantitative estimation of natural selection using birth and death rates. The present investigation is based on 179 studies among 144 different endogamous communities belonging to nineteen states and six geographical regions of India, categorized into six social groups. These studies appeared in 33 different years over six decades (1956 to 2007). The secular trend in Crows index (I(t)) and its mortality and fertility components (I(m) and I(f)) shows a gradual decline in I(t) and radical shift in the relative contributions of I(m) and I(f). Before 1990 the opportunity for natural selection was mainly determined by differential pre-reproductive mortality (I(m)), whereas after 1990 it has been determined by differential fertility (I(f)). To find out the covariates of I(t), I(m) and I(f) sixteen socio-demographic variables were considered, and nine were found to be significantly correlated with I(t): total dependency ratio, decadal growth rate 1991-2001, young age dependency ratio, crude death rate, total fertility rate, child mortality rate, under-5 mortality rate, old age dependency ratio and decadal growth rate 1981-1991. On the basis of multivariate stepwise regression analysis, female literacy emerged as one of the most important predictors of I(t). The declining trend of I(t), Im and I(f) shows that the Indian population is passing through the demographic transition.

TRADITIONAL OCCUPATIONS AND NUTRITIONAL ADAPTATION AMONG CENTRAL INDIAN CASTE POPULATIONS

The socioeconomic milieu has benefits and drawbacks for determining level of nutrition. The Indian population provides an excellent example of nutrition-driven adaptation. The present paper deals with the relationship between BMI (body mass index) and traditional occupation and process of adaptation among adult males of Central India. Anthropometric data collected by the Anthropological Survey of India on stature, sitting height and weight of 6663 adult males belonging to 22 castes were used for computation of BMI and Cormic index. The caste groups earning their living as labourers are found to be shortest (157.4+/-6.5 cm), and the caste group practising priesthood are tallest (168.6+/-6.6 cm). The prevalence of chronic energy deficiency is found to be highest (72%) among castes earning their living as daily wage labourers. The ANOVA on Cormic index and BMI suggests that people within the same occupational group are more homogeneous than those from different occupational groups. The t test also supports the homogeneity of the same occupational group.

Natural selection among Kinnaura of the Himalayan highland: A comparative analysis with other Indian and Himalayan populations

The present investigation on fertility and mortality differential among Kinnaura of the Himalayan highland is based on data collected from 160 post-menopausal women belonging to the middle and high altitude region of Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh (Indian Himalayas). Selection potential based on differential fertility and mortality was computed for middle-and high-altitude women. Irrespective of the methodology, the total index of selection was found to be highest among middle-altitude women (0.386) as compared with high-altitude (0.370) women, whereas for the total population it is estimated to be 0.384. It was found that the Kinnaura of the Himalayan highland showing moderate index of total selection and relative contribution of the mortality component (Im) to the index of total selection is higher than the corresponding fertility component (If). The analysis of embryonic and post-natal mortality components shows that the post-natal mortality components are higher in comparison with the embryonic mortality components among highlanders and needs special intervention and health care. The present findings are compared with other Indian tribes as well as non-tribes of the Himalayan region and other parts of the country. It reveals that this index among Kinnaura is moderate than the other population groups; among the Himalayan population, the highest was reported for Galong (It = 1.07) of Arunachal, whereas the lowest was reported from Ahom (It = 0.218) of Manipur. The correlation and regression analysis between total index of selection (It) and fertility (If) and mortality (Im) components for pooled data of populations of the Indian Himalayan states show that If and Im account for 21.6 and 29.1% variability, respectively. In Crows total index of selection (It) along with strong association, which is significant at the 1% level, this indicates that mortality plays a greater role in natural selection in comparison with fertility among populations of the Indian Himalayas.

Occurrence of Sickle Gene and Malaria among the Mehra (Jhariya) Caste of Mandla District, Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract Madhya Pradesh state and Mandla district is heart place of India. In the present survey forty-three percent people of Mehra (Jhariya) caste of Mandla district were found to be sicklers; the frequency of the HbS gene was recorded 0.245 in this population. Furthermore, it was seen that 44.18 percent normal individual were affected by the malarial parasite in last one year, either once or twice; the sicklers (23.25%) were more frequently affected as compared to normal individual (17.54%). The percentage of never affected individual was found to be more among normal individuals (17.54%) as compared to sicklers (9.30%). The sicklers were more susceptible towards different type of infections due to their anaemic conditions.