Prevalence of undernutrition among Santal children of Birbhum District, West Bengal, India

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of undernutrition in terms of stunting, underweight and thinness among Santal children of Birbhum district, West Bengal, India.   Method: Heights and weights of 203 children (100 boys) aged 2-16 years were measured. Children were considered to have stunting, underweight and thinness if their height-for-age, weight-for-age and body mass index-for-age Z-scores were below -2.0 SD of the WHO references.   Results: Overall prevalence of stunting, underweight and thinness in the study population was 47.8%, 31.1% and 29.6%, respectively. There were no significant sex differences (p>0.05) in the prevalence of underweight and thinness but the prevalence of stunting was significantly (p<0.05) higher in girls. Overall prevalence of moderate stunting, underweight and thinness was 23.7%, 26.1% and 18.3%, respectively. Odds of stunting was 1.86 times higher in girls than boys (OR=1.859; 95% CI, 1.064-3.246; p<0.05) whereas the odds of underweight (OR=0.995; 95% CI, 0.458-2.163; p>0.05) and thinness (OR= 1.054; 95% CI, 0.577-1.927; p>0.05) were similar in boys and girls. Conclusion: The present study in Santal children of Birbhum district revealed poor nutritional status with a higher incidence of stunting. Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health, 2013; 42(3): 147-150 (Key words: Tribe; thinness; stunting; Santal; underweight; undernutrition)DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljch.v42i3.6019