Health issues of the indigenous communities with special reference to the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Odisha: a review

As India is a country in epidemiological transition, the indigenous populations agonise from a dual burden of illnesses, including undernutrition, infectious diseases and lifestyle-related issues like hypertension, obesity and diabetes. Few concrete efforts have been made to understand these emerging public health problems with emphasis on the indigenous populations living in this country. This review paper focuses on the epidemiological transition, prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases, nutritional status, dual burden of malnutrition and the availability, acceptability and accessibility of the health care services among the tribal communities with special emphasis on the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Odisha. This study is based on the review of published articles in different online databases using search engines like Google Scholar, Pub Med, INFLIBNET, JSTOR. A total of 195 articles published during the period from 1956 to 2022 were reviewed. The review is focussed on the indigenous populations living in the Indian state of Odisha. Migration and urbanization are the leading causes of epidemiological transition among them. The health scenario in terms of nutritional status, disease burden and availability of health care facilities of Odisha was found to be far behind the national average. Compared to other groups, the situation of the PVTGs of this state is the worst. The review suggests more action-oriented ground level research with targeted goals that would address the health needs of the indigenous populations at a micro level

Association of sociodemographic variables with nutritional status among the college girls of Howrah, West Bengal, India

Nutritional status of young adult girls is very essential since they are future mothers, and their nutritional requirements increase tremendously compared to the preceding years of growth. The present study was an endeavour to assess the nutritional status and to find an association between sociodemographic variables and nutritional status among young adult college girls of Howrah, West Bengal. The study included a total of 140 college girls aged between 18 to 20 years. The sociodemographic data were collected by the interview method using a pretested standard structured schedule. The anthropometric data were measured by the standard protocol. For the comparison of anthropometric data, growth charts of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were used. The anthropometric measures like weight, mid upper arm circumference (MUAC), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), suprailiac skinfold, body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR) and waistheight ratio (WHtR) show an increasing trend according to age groups. Based on BMI, 25.7% of the young adult college girls were found to be underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2), which includes chronic energy deficiency (CED) grade I (13.6%), chronic energy deficiency (CED) grade II (7.9%) and chronic energy deficiency (CED) grade III (4.3%). BMI for age (< 5th percentile) or thinness showed a significant difference (p < 0.01) according to age. Similarly, stature for age (< 5th percentile) or stunting shows a significant association (p < 0.05) with father’s education, and underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2) shows a significant association (p < 0.05) with monthly family household income. The results of linear regression show that sociodemographic variables and food habits were significant predictors of various anthropometric measures. Monthly family income and frequency of eating fast food per week were significant predictors of BMI and MUAC, and the age of the participant and the education of the mother were significant predictors of WHR, and family income per month and the age of the participant were significant predictors of WHtR. Thus, the present study provides a podium for further studies to combat the effect of undernutrition among future mothers and instigates effective nutritional intervention strategies entailing this vulnerable group

Neck Circumference as a useful marker of Obesity: A Study among the Marwari Population of Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Overweight and obesity are still major public health problems and an important criterion for predicting chronic diseases. This paper envisages neck circumference (NC) as a useful marker of obesity. Neck circumference is an important anthropometric measurement and an indicator of upper body subcutaneous adipose tissue distribution. The present study apprehends the association of NC as a useful screening measure of overweight and obesity as compared to the conventional anthropometric variables used among the Indian adults. In this cross-sectional study 144 Marwari adult population (Males-72, Females-72) were selected from Saltlake, Kolkata, India through purposive random sampling. Measurements like height, weight, Mid Upper-Arm Circumference (MUAC) and neck circumference (NC) were collected by standard procedures. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated and prevalence of overweight and obesity was assessed using standard cut-offs. The various statistical tests like t-test, Pearson’s correlation and ANOVA were performed. The mean values of MUAC, BMI and NHtR was observed to be significantly higher in females than males (p<0.01). The prevalence of obesity using BMI (≥25.0 kg/m2) was 20.8% and 75.0% respectively among the males and the females and this was found to be statistically significant (p<0.01). The prevalence of obesity using NC and NHtR was observed to be significantly higher among females than males (p<0.01). Among the males and females, a strong positive statistically significant (p<0.01) correlation is observed between weight, MUAC, BMI, NHtR and NC. The association of anthropometric variables with age groups (ANOVA)was found to be statistically significant in females with respect to NC, NHtR (p<0.001) and weight, MUAC and BMI (p<0.01). Thus, NC seems to be a simple, assessable anthropometric measurement and a good predictor of excess adiposity. Hence, it is apparent from the study that neck circumference can be used independently as a screening measure for the assessment of obesity. The present study instigates the use of NC as a screening tool and also reinforces to derive population specific NC cut-off values of different ethnic groups

Understanding the role of ethnicity, age, sex and obesity on foot morphology: a systematic review

The morphology of the human foot varies considerably due to the combined effects of heredity, culture, lifestyle, nutrition and climatic factors, and these have anthropological, clinical and forensic importance. The shape of the foot has been of great interest to numerous authors because of its variability and its importance from both the morphological and functional points of view. Foot morphology determines the size and shape of feet or footprints and thereby makes them unique data to establish human identity. This review study is an attempt to explore the variation in human foot morphology in different ethnic populations as well as the effect of age, sex and obesity on the morphology of the human foot. The database was searched from June 2021 to December 2021 using Google Scholar, ResearchGate and PubMed employing unique and specific combinations of keywords, such as ethnic differences, foot anthropometry, foot dimensions, foot morphology, footprints, gender differences in foot dimension, sexual dimorphism in foot anthropometry, foot shape, obesity and foot morphology, and the effect of age on foot morphology. A total of 55 studies were retrieved covering the years from 1975 to 2020. Literature revealed that foot morphological characteristics vary among different ethnic groups and also exhibit sexual dimorphism and reflect specific characteristics at different ages of life. Obesity was found to have a significant impact on selected foot morphological parameters. Studies on quantitative variations in foot morphology from the anthropological point of view in the Indian context are limited, and, therefore, similar studies should be instigated among different ethnic groups living in different parts of India

Prevalence of Under-Nutrition Measured by Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF) Among the Bhumij Children of Northern Odisha, India

Introduction: Under-nutrition continues to be a serious health problem among the children in India. In view of the paucity of recent attempts to classify under-nourished children satisfactorily the Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF) has been implemented to measure the seriousness and severity of overall under-nutrition in a population. However, there exists scanty information of the prevalence of under-nutrition among the tribal children of Odisha and India. Therefore the objective of the present study is to evaluate the overall prevalence of under-nutrition among the Bhumij children of Northern Odisha, India.Materials and Methods: A total of 136 Bhumij children aged 1 to 6 years (69 boys and 67 girls) were measured. Children were considered as underweight, stunting and wasting if their weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for-height Z-scores below -2.0 SD of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reference data. Severe under-nutrition was assessed as Z-score below -3.0 SD.Results: The overall age and sex combined prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting recorded was 32.4%, 42.6% and 25% respectively, and these rates were considered as high (30-39%), very high (≥30%) and also very high (≥15%), respectively. CIAF showed a higher prevalence of undernutrition (54.4%) i.e., children suffering from anthropometric failure, in comparison to other three conventional indicators (stunting, underweight and wasting).Conclusions: Therefore various nutritional intervention programs can be formulated to improve the nutritional status of the children. It was established herein that CIAF is a better indicator of nutritional status than traditional measures of stunting, underweight and wasting because it differentiates overall and total anthropometric failure.  J Nepal Paediatr Soc 2016;36(1):61-67</jats:p

Sociodemographic Profile, Reproductive Health and Nutritional Status Among the Juangs—A Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group of Odisha, India

The present study is an endeavor to understand the sociodemographic profile, reproductive health, and nutritional status of the Juangs, a particularly vulnerable tribal population of Odisha, India. A total of 435 adult males and 515 adult females (≥18 years) were considered from 15 villages under two blocks of Keonjhar district of Odisha, India. A pre-structured schedule was used to collect data on the sociodemographic profile and reproductive health. Heights and weights were recorded using the standard protocol. Statistically significant ( p &lt; 0.05) sex difference was found with respect to age, educational status, and occupational status between the males and the females. The present study reveals that the mean reproductive wastage was found to be 0.55. The maternal and child health care services unveil that only 29.9 percent of the women have taken iron and folic acid (IFA) tablets and 23.1 percent have taken at least one tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccine. Maximum percentage of women (75.9%) were assisted by elderly women during delivery, and only 35.1 percent adopted the sterilization method for fertility regulation. Among the mothers, 60.6 percent initiated breastfeeding on the third day, 55.9 percent breastfed their babies for a period of 2 years, and 66.2 percent mothers immunized their children with at least one vaccine. A significant sex difference of mean body mass index (BMI) ( t – 5.68; p &lt; 0.001) was observed between the Juang males and females. The study reflects that the extents of undernutrition among the males (57.5%) and the females (62.9%) were very high, which indicates that the Juangs are under serious nutritional stress. Hence, immediate appropriate nutritional intervention programs are needed for implementation. </jats:p

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) among young adult women: an anthropological insight

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders which affect women in a significant manner worldwide. India has witnessed an about 30% rise in PCOS cases in the last couple of years. PCOS has a strong association with many comorbidities with its long-term metabolic as well as other consequences. Thus, it has recently been recognized as a significant public health issue. This review paper is an attempt to reveal the prevalence, pathophysiology, knowledge and awareness of PCOS among the adolescents and young adult women of India. An extensive search was performed using electronic search engines such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar (from 2004 to 2023) to find the relevant research papers on the prevalence, pathophysiology, knowledge, and awareness of PCOS among the adolescents and young adult women of India. The current review summarises and highlights the prevalence, pathophysiology, knowledge, and awareness of PCOS for early identification and prevention and consequent minimation of the steady upward trend of PCOS. The results of this review could identify high-risk populations and foster the implementation of preventive lifestyle measures. It also investigates the need for intervention programmes for PCOS and its associated comorbidities in different settings at an earlier stage and to improve the quality of health

Footprint analysis and prevalence of flatfoot: a study among the children of South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India

The present study envisages the morphological differences in anthropometric measurements on footprints among the preschool children and analyzes its manifestation in the different weight category. This study also focuses on the diagnosis of flatfoot among the studied population. Data has been collected from 160 participants (80 boys and 80 girls) from Bengali Hindu caste population aged 3 to 6 years. Anthropometric measurements included height, weight and body mass index. Other measurements on foot morphology included foot length, foot breadth diagonal, foot breadth horizontal, ball of the foot length, outside ball of the boot length, heel breadth, and toe lengths T1, T2, T3.T4, T5. Staheli’s Plantar Arch Index, Chippaux-Smirak Index and foot angle were calculated. Various statistical tests like t-test, Pearson’s correlation and ANOVA were performed. Among all the variables, foot breadth horizontal showed statistically significant difference between boys and girls (p<0.05). All the footprint dimensions showed a significant (p<0.05) positive correlation with height and weight in both the boys and the girls. However, the Staheli’s Plantar Arch Index showed a significant (p<0.05) negative correlation with height and weight and Chippaux-Smirak Index showed a significant (p<0.05) negative correlation with height only among both the boys and the girls. Significant differences (ANOVA) were found between the foot morphology of children in three different weight categories (underweight, healthy and overweight) except the foot angle, and both indices. The present study evinces that weight affects the foot structure of the children. The prevalence of flatfoot was found to be 57.5% among the children with no significant difference (p<0.05) between the boys and the girls. The results thus provide a podium for intricate studies in the future. Timely prognosis of flatfoot in children can instigate early rectification of flat-footedness