Thursday, August 10, 2017

Ageing, Health Condition and Nutrition among Elderly people of Pondicherry, India :An Anthropological Insight

Ageing, Health Condition and Nutrition among Elderly people of Pondicherry, India :An Anthropological Insight
*Dr Ajeet Jaiswal,
* Ajeet Jaiswal, Assistant Professors, Department of Anthropology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry-605014.;

Abstract:

The present study examined the relationship among body composition, measures of self-rated health and activities of daily living in a group of free living elderly aged >60 years belonging to poor economic status. A sample of 147 subjects (84 males, 67 females) from Pondicherry, India was selected. The subjects were divided into three age groups i.e. 60-69, 70-79 and >80 years for comparison. Mean height, weight, circumferences of waist and hip and WHR were higher in males than females with no difference in BMI. None of the anthropometric variables showed significant association with age. Majority of the subjects rated themselves as ‘poor’ or ‘fair’ self-rated health and this corresponds well with the lower mean values of anthropometry as well as activities of daily living, well-being and memory and cognitive function, impaired health aids and in general health. Polytomous logistic regression showed that subjects with the highest score on well-being compared to the lowest score rated 0.325 times (CI: 0.124, 0.851; P<0.05) good vs fair. The odds ratio was 0.519 times (CI: 0.206, 1.306) between good vs poor. Subjects who rated their health as good/fair tended to have BMI in the normal range. In the poor self-rated health group a maximum of 55% of males and 47% of females were below 19 units of BMI, which was reflected in the increase in odds ratio of 1.361 in males and 1.134 in females between good vs poor health ratings. The findings reveal that well-being and BMI are related to self-reported health status.


Keywords: Anthropometry, Health, Nutrition, Puducherry, Elderly, BMI.

Health and Nutritional Status of a Primitive Tribe of Madhya Pradesh: Baiga

Health and Nutritional Status of a Primitive Tribe of Madhya Pradesh: Baiga
 *Mrs. Sapna Jaiswal, **Dr Ajeet Jaiswal,

*Mrs. Sapna Jaiswal, Ph.D, Scholar,  Department of Anthropology, Madras University, Chennai.
** Ajeet Jaiswal, Assistant Professors, Department of Anthropology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry-605014.;


Abstract-
 Health and nutritional status of an individual depends on the food he eats. Man needs a wide range of nutrients to lead a healthy and active life and these are derived through the diet they consume daily. Good nutrition is a basic component of health. This paper deals with the utility of various anthropometric cut-off points in the evaluation of nutritional & Health status. Total 616 subjects studied from 201 household of the five villages of Baigachak area. Anthropometric measurements taken were height and weight. Dietary data was collected using 24hr recall method. The extent of malnutrition for preschool children was assessed by SD classification and
the nutritional status of adults was assessed by BMI classification. About 58.6% of the pre-school children were under weight (moderate to severe) out of them 23.2% children were severely under weight. Stunting and wasting were seen in 42.2% and 36.2% children respectively. Prevalence of chronic energy deficiency (BMI<18.5) was about 78% among adult population. Consumption of cereals was higher than recommended level (460gm), while the consumption of other foodstuff was lower than the RDA. The intake of all nutrients except calcium was significantly lower than recommended level. It is suggested that the overall socio-economic development should be accelerated in order to improve the health and nutritional status of Baiga Tribe.


Keywords : Baiga tribe, nutritional status, nutrient intake, BMI, RDA.