Report on “anthropometric failure” among rural 2-6 years old Indian Bauri caste children of West Bengal Subal Das, Kaushik Bose Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore 721 102, West Bengal, India; E-mail: banda@vsnl.net ABSTRACT �his st�dy �as �nderta�en to determine the overall prevalen�e of �ndern�tri- �his st�dy �as �nderta�en to determine the overall prevalen�e of �ndern�tri- tion �sing the �omposite index of anthropometri� fail�re (CIAF) among the Ba�ri �aste r�ral pres�hool �hildren of the P�r�lia Distri�t, West Bengal, India. A total of 347 �hildren (185 boys and 162 girls) aged 2-6 years �ere meas�red. St�nting, �nder�eight and �asting �ere �sed to eval�ate the n�tritional stat�s of the s�bje�ts (�ompared �ith �hildren of the United States NCHS referen�e sample) and CIAF for the total �hildren. Among the st�died Ba�ri �hildren, 39.2% �ere st�nted, 51.2% – �nder�eight and 26.6% – �asted. �he CIAF sho�ed a higher prevalen�e of �ndern�trition, �ith a total of 66.3% of Ba�ri �aste pres�hool �hildren s�ffering from at least one type of “anthropometri� fail�re”. Among the st�died �hildren only 33.7% sho�ed no fail�re. Val�able health and n�trition promotional programs �an be form�lated based on the CIAF indings with the ultimate objective of reducing childhood undernutrition in a pop�lation of India. KEY WORDS: CIAF, st�nting, �nder�eight, �asting, �ndern�trition Re�eived 2 November; a��epted 17 De�ember 2009 DOI: 10.2478/v10044-008-0017-1 © 2009 Polish Anthropologi�al So�iety AnthropologicAl review • Vol. 72, 81-88 (2009) Undern�trition, a type of maln�trition, o���rs d�e to inadeq�ate inta�e of n�trients req�ired for proper gro�th, maintenan�e and development of the body. Chroni� h�nger and �ndern�trition is the �orst trib- �lation of the poverty that still plag�es mil- lions of ho�seholds in India, and the plight of �hildren is of spe�ial �on�ern. Undern�- trition in �hildhood is one of the reasons for the high �hild mortality rate and is also highly detrimental for the f�t�re of those �ho s�rvive [Pelletier 1994]. Chroni� �ndern�trition in �hildhood is lin�ed to slo�er �ognitive development and serio�s health impairments later in life that red��e the q�ality of life and also the e�onomi� prod��tivity of people [S�rimsha� 1996]. Undern�trition is hen�e not only a �onse- q�en�e of poverty b�t also a �a�se. India has the highest in�iden�e of �hild- hood maln�trition in the �orld [Bamji 2003: 1137]. One half of the �hildren �nder