3 Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health 2006 Vol. 18 No. 3 Body Mass Index and Nutritional Status of Adult Savar Tribals of Keonjhar District, Orissa, India K Bose, PhD F Chakraborty, PhD S Bisai, MSc A Khatun, MSc H Bauri, MSc Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, West Bengal, India Address for correspondence: Dr. Kaushik Bose Reader in Biological Anthropology Department of Anthropology Vidyasagar University Midnapore – 721 102 West Bengal, India Email: banda@vsnl.net Abstract A cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine sex differences in mean body mass index (BMI) and nutritional status (based on BMI), as well as the effect of age on BMI and nutritional status of adult Savars, a tribal popu- lation of Orissa, India. A total of 600 adult (aged > 18 years) Savars of four villages, namely, Bonianiposi, Morabali, Panchapolli and Sailong of Keonjhar District, Orissa, India, were studied. Height and weight were measured and BMI computed. Mean ages of both sexes were similar (men: mean = 38.9 years, sd = 15.3; women: mean = 38.0, sd = 13.9). Men had significantly greater mean height (p < 0.001), weight (p < 0.001) and BMI (p < 0.05). The pre- valence (sex combined) of under- nutrition (BMI < 18.5) was found to be very high (43.5%). Moreover, there was a significant ( χ 2 = 7.39, p = 0.025) difference in the prevalence of under- nutrition between men (38%) and women (49%). Age was significantly (p < 0.001) negatively correlated with BMI in both sexes (men: r = -0.20; women: r = -0.16). In general, the frequency of undernutrition increased with increasing age. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the prevalence of adult undernutrition was very high among Savar women and high among Savar men. These rates increased with increasing age. Therefore, from the public health point of view, immediate nutritional intervention programmes are needed for implementation among Savars, especially among older individuals. Moreover, further research is needed not only among this ethnic group but also other tribal populations of India to fully understand the causes and consequences of adult under- nutrition. Asia Pac J Public Health 2006; 18(3): 3–7. Keywords: India, Orissa, Tribal Population, Savar, Body Mass Index, nutritional status inexpensive, non-invasive and suitable for large-scale surveys 3,6-8 . Thus, BMI is the most established anthropometric indicator used for assessment of adult nutrition status 9 . In general, data on the nutritional status of various tribal populations of India are scarce 8,10-17 . It has been recently suggested that there is an urgent need to evaluate the nutritional status of various tribes of India 8,16-17 . In view of this, the objective of the present study is to report the BMI and nutritional status of adult Savars. The effect of age on BMI and nutritional status was also investigated. It is the first report on the anthropometric and nutritional profile of adult Savars. Materials and Methods This study was conducted in collaboration with Associated Social Service Agency (ASSA), a non- governmental organisation based in Sailongchhak, Anandapur, Keonjhar District, Orissa, India. Prior per- mission and ethical approval were obtained from local community leaders as well as relevant authorities before the commencement of the study. Information on ethnicity, age, Introduction The tribes of India comprise about 8% of the total population of the country having probably the largest number of tribal communities in the world 1 . Savars are one such tribe whose mother tongue is Savar, an Austro- Asiatic language. They are inhabitants of three eastern provinces of India: Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa. The majority of the Savars in Orissa are found in the districts of Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Ganjam and Keonjhar 2 . They are also known as Saura, Saora and Sahara in different provinces of India. Information on Savars is extremely scanty and there is no published data dealing with their anthropometric characteristics. The use of anthropometry as an indicator of nutritional and health status of adults has now been well established 3 . Low BMI and high levels of undernutrition (based on BMI) is a major public health problem especially among rural under- privileged adults of developing countries 3 . Although adult nutritional status can be evaluated in many ways 4-5 , the body mass index (BMI) is most widely used because its use is at SAGE Publications on September 16, 2015 aph.sagepub.com Downloaded from