Determinants of Nutritional Status among Tribal Adolescent in Girls Paschim Medinipur District of West Bengal

DEAR EDITOR Tribal population constitutes about 8% of the total population of India. They are at higher risk of undernutrition because of their dependence on primitive agriculture practices and uncertainty of food supply. In general, tribal communities in India are neglected, discriminated in terms of income distribution and social status, which tend to have higher rates of undernutrition. Recognizing these problems, the Government of India has been implementing several programs for overall development of the tribal communities. In spite of vulnerable segment of population, adolescent girl of many indigenous communities have suffered higher degree of undernutrition and not receive adequate attention. Assessment of nutritional status is considered as a measure of health and it is necessary for planners to understand the food and nutrition situation among tribal population for upliftment of these vulnerable groups. This community based cross sectional study was conducted among the tribal adolescent girls reside in 7 blocks namelyBinpur I, Binpur II, Jamboni, Jhargram Sadar, Gopiballavpur I, Gopiballavpur II and Sankrail of Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal during the year of 2011. A total of 277 adolescent girls between 9 to 19 years of age 1Department of Bio-Medical Laboratory Science and Management, (U.G.C Innovative Funded Department), 3Department of BioMedical Laboratory Science and Management, Nutrition and Dietetics Unit, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, 2Rural Research Institute of Physiology and Applied Nutrition (RRIPAN), ‘Gitanjali’, Dr. Nilay Paul Road, Midnapore, West Bengal, India. Correspondence to: Dr. Shyamapada Paul, Rural Research Institute of Physiology and Applied Nutrition (RRIPAN), Gitanjali’, Dr. Nilay Paul Road, Midnapore – 721 101, West Bengal, India. E-mail: [email protected]