Background and Objectives:Urban and rural India are both going through health epidemiological transition and will soon face huge burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Information on the status of NCDs in tribals is limited. Although the prevalence of hypertension in scheduled tribes (STs) has been studied in several states by the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau, tribe-specific data are very scanty. The objective of this study was to generate data on the status of hypertension and diabetes, the two objectively measurable NCDs in Katkaris, the dominant ST in the Raigad district of coastal Maharashtra.Methods:The study was conducted in 410 adult Katkaris (women 219) of both sexes of ≥18 years of age in three adjoining tehsils of the district. Using the Institution Review Board approved protocol; information was obtained on sociodemographic parameters, educational level, dietary pattern, and substance abuse. Prevalence of overweight, hypertension, and diabetes was measured using standard field-based procedures and techniques.Results:Katkaris, who are mostly landless manual laborers, subsist on a protein-poor, imbalanced diet. About half of women and one-third of men have body mass index (BMI) <18.5 kg/m2, an indication of undernutrition. On the other hand, about 2% of participants were obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). The overall prevalence of hypertension and diabetes was 16.8% and 7.3%, respectively. Hypercholesterolemia was recorded in about 3% of the participants.Interpretation and Conclusions:Prevalence of diabetes and hypertension in Katkaris is still lower than that of urban and rural populations, closer to the latter. This may be due to the absence of known risk factors such as obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and hyperlipidemia in this community. Fast acculturation of the STs suggests that NCDs will soon become a major health issue in them too. It is time to launch a multicentric national study to gather baseline information on the status of NCDs in STs.

Background and Objectives:Although a number of studies have been conducted on the prevalence of hypertension (HTN) and diabetes on tribal populations in different parts of India, comparative tribe-specific information is very meager. The main objective of this study is to generate tribe-specific information on the noncommunicable disorders (NCDs) and associated risk factors in scheduled tribes (STs) in Coastal and Western Maharashtra.Methods:The study was conducted on 1864 (females 960) adults (≥18 years) of both sexes in four dominant tribes in the region, namely, Bhils (748), Katkaris (560), Kokana (352), and Thakars (204), using the protocols approved by the Institutional Review Board. The study areas were geographically separated by large distances (250–500 km apart). Prevalence of overweight, diabetes, HTN, and hypercholesterolemia was measured using standard field-based techniques described in our earlier publication.Results:All STs in this study are grossly underweight; the Katkaris are worst affected. The prevalence of obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2), HTN (blood pressure ≥140 mmHg), diabetes (capillary blood glucose >126 mg/dl), and hypercholesterolemia (cholesterol ≥200 mg/dl) was 0.9%, 11.7%, 6.7%, and 0.6% respectively. There are no statistically significant inter-tribal differences in the prevalence of these parameters. Age and obesity appeared to be the most dominant risk factors for HTN. However, there is no clear-cut picture about the influence of risk factors on diabetes or hypercholesterolemia.Interpretation and Conclusion:The prevalence of NCDs is still very low in STs, probably due to near absence of the risk factors such as obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and hyperlipidemia. STs are highly endogamous, and the study areas are separated by large distances ruling out intermingling of tribes. Yet, there is no consistent inter-tribal prevalence pattern for NCDs. Although the sample size is small, the results support the view that environmental factors are likely to be more important than host genetics in the causation of NCDs.