A study on the prevalence of under-nutrition among the irular tribal adolescent girls in thiruvallur district, tamil nadu, south india.

Abstract

Background: Under-nutrition during the adolescence is an important public health problem in developing countries particularly in rural India. There is paucity of data on Under-nutrition among the Tribals wherein early detection prevents adverse health problems Objective: To assess the prevalence of under-nutrition among the Irular adolescent girls in Tamil Nadu. Methods: A community based Cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 Irular girls aged 10 to 19 years in Irularpalayam in Minjur block, Thiruvallur District of Tamil Nadu using the Multi-stage sampling method during March to July 2013. Socio-demographic data, anthropometric measurements, Hemoglobin estimation were recorded and Thinness was defined as BMI < 5th centile (CDC 2000). Anemia was defined as Hb < 12 gm% for non-pregnant girls Results: The prevalence of Thinness was 63.5% with increasing severity with advancing age with statistical significance. Prevalence of Anemia was 58% with increasing severity with age. Majority of 70% had clinical signs of Under-nutrition. Access to Health services was observed to be very low in this community.Conclusion: Under-nutrition in the form of Thinness and Anemia is highly prevalent among the Irular adolescent girls requiring special focus on Health education, nutritional interventions for a healthy productive life.