Nutrition Profile of the Tribal (Bhoksa) Women in Bijnor District, Uttar Pradesh

Anmol Lamba, Veena Garg

Abstract: Tribes are considered as socio-economically disadvantaged community. Tribals have their distinct customs, traditions and dietary pattern. In the present study an attempt was made to understand the socio-demographic profile of the women of Bhoksa tribe and to assess their nutritional status. The sample comprised of 120 scheduled tribal women from Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh. A pre-designed questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic information. Nutritional status of respondents was assessed by Anthropometric measurements. Data on weight and height was collected using standardized techniques. To calculate nutrient intake, twenty-four hour dietary recall method was adopted and was compared with the RDA given by ICMR. The findings of the study revealed poor nutritional status of tribal women as 64.17 % respondents were underweight having BMI less than 18.5 and their nutrient intake was also insufficient showing high percentage deficit in calories, proteins, fat, iron and calcium intake.

Keywords: Dietary pattern, Tribal women, Nutritional status, RDA, ICMR