Assessment of the nutritional status is a major public health concern in India. Thinness (low BMI-for-age) is an important anthropometric measure of undernutrition. In the present scenario, tribal children were facing undernutrition due to lack of income, inadequate food intake, and suffering with various diseases. The objectives of the present study were to determine age groups and sex specific prevalence of thinness among children and adolescents of the Juang tribe of Keonjhar district in Odisha, India. The present cross-sectional study was carried out among 237 (106 male and 131 female) Juang children and adolescents aged 1–17 years. The prevalence of thinness was assessed by using proposed age-sex specific international reference. We used standard statistical technique for comparing the BMI-for-age z-score (BMIZ) means across the educational categories. The overall prevalence among the studied children was 15.61% and educational category wise prevalence of thinness among preschool, school going children, and adolescents were 11.94%, 19.05% and 15.12% respectively. Present scenarios of nutritional health status among Juang children and adolescents have secured a moderate position or have relatively improved. Continuity of the different intervention programs and government undertaking health policies may make a stable situation for good health among Juang children.
AmruthM., KumarS., KulkarniA. G., KambleS. V., & IsmailI. M. (2015). A study on nutritional status and morbidity pattern among primary school children in Sullia town, South India. Indian Journal of Basic and Applied Medical Research, 4(4), 100–112.
2.
BharathiK., GhritlahreM., DasS., & BoseK. (2017). Nutritional status among children and adolescents aged 6–18 years of Kolam tribe of Andhra Pradesh, India. Anthropological Review, 80, 153–163.
3.
BharathiK., RaoV. L. N., & KispottaS. (2015). Prevalence of thinness among the Kolam pre-school children. Human Biology Review, 4, 337–346.
4.
BisaiS., GhoshT., DeG. K., & BoseK. (2010). Very high prevalence of thinness among Kora-Mudi tribal children of Paschim Medinipur District of West Bengal, India. European Journal of Biological Sciences, 3, 43–49.
5.
Census of India (2011). The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. Government of India.
6.
ChakrabartyS., GhoshR., & BharatiP. (2009). Breastfeeding practices and nutritional status of preschool children among the Shabar Tribal Community in Orissa, India. Proceeding of National Symposium on Tribal Health, pp. 227–234.
7.
ColeT. J., FlegalK. M., NichollsD., & JacksonA. A. (2007). Body mass index cut offs to define thinness in children and adolescents: International survey. British Medical Journal, 335, 194–197.
8.
CrimshawN. S., & San-GiovanniJ. P. (1997). Synergism of nutrition, infection, and immunity: An overview. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 66, 464S–477S. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/66.2.464S
9.
DasS., & BoseK. (2011a). Prevalence of thinness among santal preschool children using new body mass index cut-off points. Journal of Anthropology. 2011, 602782. https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/602782
10.
DasS., & BoseK. (2011b). Prevalence of thinness using new international cut-off points among Santal tribal children and adolescents of Purulia District, West Bengal, India. Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health, 40, 105–110.
11.
JoshiK., MoharanaG., & JeevaJ. C. (2016). Assessment of nutritional status of tribal children: A case of Bhumija Munda tribe of Mayurbhanj. Journal of Agroecology and Natural Resource Management, 3, 329–332.
12.
LuskyA., BarellV., LubinF., KaplanG., LayaniV., ShohatZ., LevB., & WienerM. (1996). Relationship between morbidity and extreme values of body mass index in adolescents. International Journal of Epidemiology, 25, 829–834. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/25.4.829
13.
MahapatraB., & BoseK. (2020). Prevalence of thinness among tribal preschool children of West Bengal: An assessment by BMI cut-off points. Antrocom: Online Journal of Anthropology, 16, 213–222.
14.
MengistuK., AlemuK., & DestawB. (2013). Prevalence of malnutrition and associated factors among children aged 6–59 months at Hidabu Abote District, North Shewa, Oromia Regional State. Journal of Nutritional Disorders & Therapy, 1, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.4172/2161-0509.1000T1-001
15.
MohantyS. C. (2007). Socio-economic impact of deforestation on the Juang of Gonasika with special reference to their subsistence activities. ADIVASI 2007, 47, 125–138.
16.
MondalN., RonchehonR., & BharaliN. (2012). Prevalence of thinness, overweight and obesity among Karbi tribal children aged 5-12 years of Karbi Anglong, Assam Northeast India. In KitedR., GautamR. & PatraP. K. (Eds.), Human growth and nutrition: A biocultural synthesis. Kalpaz Publications Delhi Assam Northeast India. IUAES-Inter congress (5th: 2012: Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar).
17.
NayakR. K., WalvekarP. R., & MallapurM. D. (2015). Thinness among preschool children residing in rural area: A cross-sectional study. Journal of the Scientific Society, 42, 78–81.
18.
NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC). (2016). Trends in adult body-mass index in 200 countries from 1975 to 2014: A pooled analysis of 1698 population-based measurement studies with 19·2 million participants. Lancet, 387, 1377–1396. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30054-X
19.
National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB). (2009). Diet and nutritional status of tribal population and prevalence of hypertension among adults - Report on second repeat survey. National Institute of Nutrition. India, 2009.
20.
PalA., PariA. K., SinhaA., & DharaP. C. (2017). Prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors: A cross-sectional study among rural adolescents in West Bengal, India. International Journal of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 4, 9–18. https://www-elsevier-com.web.bisu.edu.cn/locate/ijpam
21.
PietrobelliA., FaithM. S., AllisonD. B., GallagherD., ChiumelloG., & HeymsfieldS. B. (1998). Body mass index as a measure of adiposity among children and adolescents: A validation study. The Journal of Pediatrics, 132, 204–210.
22.
SelvarajV., SangareddiS., VelmuruganL., MuniyappanU., & AnithaF. S. (2016). Nutritional status of adolescent school children in a semi-urban area based on anthropometry. International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics, 3, 468–472.
23.
SinghA. (2020). Childhood malnutrition in India. In Perspective of recent advances in acute diarrhea. Intechopen. https://dx-doi-org.web.bisu.edu.cn/10.5772/intechopen.89701
24.
SinghA., PathakP. K., ChauhanR. K., & PanW. (2011). Infant and child mortality in India in the last two decades: A geospatial analysis. Plos One, 6(11), e26856.
25.
SinghJ., & MondalN. (2013). Assessment of nutritional status: A case of tribal children in Assam, Northeast India. Journal of Nepal Paediatric Society, 3, 1–7.
26.
SinghH. S., GhritlahreM., & DasS. (2014). Nutritional status among females of Bhaina Tribe of Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India: An anthropological insight. Journal of Anthropology, 1–7.
27.
SuligaE. (2006). Anthropometrical methods of assessing the nutritional status of children and adolescents. Pediatria Polska, 81, 739–746.
28.
UlijaszekS. J., & KerrD. A. (1988) Anthropometric measurement error and the assessment of nutritional status. British Journal Nutrition, 82, 165–177.
29.
UNICEF. (2004). The state of the world’s children 2005: Childhood under threat (pp. 164–164). UNICEF.
30.
World Health Organization (WHO). (1996). Physical status: The use and interpretation of anthropometry. Tech. Rep. 854. World Health Organization.
31.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2016). Growth reference 5-19 years- Application tools: Anthroplus Software. World Health Organization.
