Report on "anthropometric failure" among rural 2-6 years old Indian Bauri caste children of West Bengal

• Authors: Subal Das , Kaushik Bose

Abstracts

EN

This study was undertaken to determine the overall prevalence of undernutrition using the composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF) among the Bauri caste rural preschool children of the Purulia District, West Bengal, India. A total of 347 children (185 boys and 162 girls) aged 2-6 years were measured. Stunting, underweight and wasting were used to evaluate the nutritional status of the subjects (compared with children of the United States NCHS reference sample) and CIAF for the total children. Among the studied Bauri children, 39.2% were stunted, 51.2% - underweight and 26.6% - wasted. The CIAF showed a higher prevalence of undernutrition, with a total of 66.3% of Bauri caste preschool children suffering from at least one type of "anthropometric failure". Among the studied children only 33.7% showed no failure. Valuable health and nutrition promotional programs can be formulated based on the CIAF findings with the ultimate objective of reducing childhood undernutrition in a population of India.

PL

Badania wykonano w celu określenia poziomu niedożywienia wiejskich indyjskich dzieci w wieku przedszkolnym, należących do kasty Bauri (kasta o niskim statusie, której przedstawiciele są głównie najemnymi pracownikami fizycznymi), w dystrykcie Parulia w Bengalu Zachodnim. Niedożywienie określano kompleksowym wskaźnikiem "fiaska antropometrycznego" (CIAF). Zbadano 347 dzieci (185 chłopców i 162 dziewczynki) w wieku 2-6 lat. Przypadki skrajnego niedożywienia rejestrowano w trzech kategoriach: "niedorastania", "wychudzenia" i "wyniszczenia" (układem odniesienia były normy rozwojowe dzieci ze Stanów Zjednoczonych z lat 60.-70.), z których powstają grupy składające się na wskaźnik CIAF. Wśród zbadanych dzieci kasty Bauri, 39,2% kwalifikowało się do kategorii "niedorośniętych", 51,2% - "wychudzonych" i 26,6% - "wyniszczonych". Wskaźnik CIAF, uwzględniający wystąpienie u dziecka co najmniej jednej ze wspomnianych wyżej kategorii, osiągnął wartość 66,3% - zaledwie 33,7% dzieci pod względem żadnej z badanych cech nie znalazło się poniżej progu, jaki stanowi wartość 5. centyla uwzględnionych norm.

Keywords

EN

CIAF; stunting; underweight; wasting; undernutrition

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: Anthropological Review
• Year: 2009
• Volume: 72
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 81-88

Contributors

author

Subal Das

• Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore 721 102, West Bengal

author

Kaushik Bose

• Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore 721 102, West Bengal

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/v10044-008-0017-1