European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine ISSN 2515-8260 Volume 07, Issue 03, 2020 4794 Nutritional Status Of The Rabha Tribal Children Of Udalguri District Of Assam, India Nabajit Kr. Das 1 , A. F. Gulenur Islam Barbhuiya 2 , Rijumoni Sarma 3 1 Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata, West Bengal, India 2 M.H.C.M. Science Colllege, Hailakandi, Assam, India 3 Directorate of Social Welfare, Guwahati, Assam, India ABSTRACT: Tribal populations in India are considered to be socio-economically the most disadvantaged group and tribal children have very poor health indicators when compared to the rest of the population. In the present study an attempt has been made to assess the nutritional status of under- five years age group among the Rabha children of Udalguri district, Assam, India. For assessing the nutritional status of children, three anthropometric indices- height for age, weight for height and weight for age, which are considered as good indicators of assessment of nutritional status were adopted. Among the 225 children who were assessed for malnutrition, 93 (41.33%) were stunted, 62 (27.56%) wasted and 68 (30.22%) underweight as per WHO Growth Standards. The prevalence of malnutrition was found more common in girls as compared to boys. Education of the mothers was found to have a strong inverse relationship with all three measures of nutritional status. Education among the parents to improve nutritional status in the children as well as modification in the lifestyle can help to decline this health concern. Keywords: Rabha children, India, malnutrition, stunted, wasted, underweight. 1. INTRODUCTION Nutrition during the first five years of life has an impact not only on growth and morbidity during childhood, but also has a persistent impact on their physical and mental development and on their health status as adult. Nutritional deficiencies give rise to various morbidities, which in turn, may lead to increased mortality. Under nutrition is considered as major public health problem that closely associated with child mortality rates. The survivors of under nutrition have its pervasive effects that include acute morbidity as well as long-term impairment of cognitive & social development, physical work capacity, productivity, and economic growth (Jethy, 2008). In India, 20% children of under five years children are suffer from wasting due to acute undernutrition. More than one third of the world’s children who are wasted live in India. Forty three per cent of Indian children under five years are underweight and 48 percent are stunted due to chronic undernutrition, India accounts for more than 3 out of every 10 stunted children in the world (UNICEF, 2017). Despite rapid economic development along with increase in food production in recent decades and several nutritional intervention