The study aims to investigate the Low Birth Weight (LBW) of newborn infants among the tribal population in India. Methods and Materials: Study analyses 1,93,345 tribal children aged 0-5 years from the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey data (NFHS-4, 2015-16). Logistics regression has been performed to investigate the correlates of low birth weight. Results: Results show that every fifth newborn child among tribal in 165 districts is LBW and total of 232 districts have proportionately higher LBW than the national average (18.2%). Newborns belonging to Scheduled Tribes in Madhya Pradesh (30 districts), Maharashtra (19 districts), Rajasthan (19 districts), Odisha (19 districts), Gujarat (16 districts), Bihar (12 districts), Karnataka (10 districts), West Bengal (9 districts) and Andhra Pradesh (5 districts) -have higher proportion of low birth weight than the national average. Univariate Global Moran's I index shows that 21% of districts have positive auto correlation for the prevalence of LBW among tribals. Mother's age at birth, mother's education, ANC visits and wealth index are important in determining the LBW of a newborn. Conclusion:The prevalence of LBW is higher among tribal population. Mother's education, wealth index, ANC visits, Mother's age at birth are key determinants that need to be addressed to reduce prevalence of LBW among the tribal population. The government needs to focus on marginalized communities with target based intervention and policies. were below the poverty line, the proportion among the rest was 20.5%.

To an extent the question posed in the title of this paper can simply be answered in the affirmative. Based on the extensive data available from the National Family Health Survey-1 (NFHS-1) conducted in 1992–93 and NFHS-4 in 2015–16 there has been a significant overall decline of some 19% in the prevalence of consanguineous marriage in India. However, when examined at state level the picture is more complex, with large reductions in consanguinity in southern states where intra-familial marriage previously has been strongly favoured, whereas in some northern states in which close kin unions traditionally have been proscribed small increases were recorded. In a country such as India, comprising an estimated 18% of the current world population and with multiple ethnic, religious, geographical and social sub-divisions, apparently contrary findings of this nature are not unexpected – especially given the major shifts that are underway in family sizes, in education and employment, and with rapid urbanization. The changing health profile of the population also is an important factor, with non-communicable diseases now responsible for a majority of morbidity and premature mortality in adulthood. The degree to which future alterations in the prevalence and profile of consanguineous marriage occur, and at what rate, is difficult to predict – the more so given the markedly diverse cultural identities that remain extant across the Sub-Continent, and ongoing intra-community endogamy.

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Background: Cervical cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers among Indian women. Cervical cancer incidence reduces dramatically when effective screening programs linked with access to treatment are in place and are readily accessible. Peripheral health workers (PHWs) being frontline workers have a major influence on raising awareness among community about acceptability of available screening programmes. This study was thus conducted to assess the awareness of PHWs regarding risk factors, signs and symptoms, early detection and prevention for cervical cancer.Methods: A questionnaire-based study was conducted among 450 PHWs (ASHAs and BHWs). Information was collected regarding their bio-social characteristics, awareness about female cancers, risk factors, signs/symptoms, early detection methods and services available for screening and prevention of cervical cancer.Results: Awareness of different aspects of cervical cancer was found to be very low. Only eight per cent of the PHWs had good awareness score. BHWs obtained statistically significant better mean scores as compared to ASHAs. Few (7.6%) PHWs had received training for any type of female cancers. Only 17 per cent of the PHWs were aware of HPV vaccine availability and only 29 per cent from them could name the vaccine.Conclusions: Majority of the PHWs had poor awareness about cervical cancer and available screening facility in our health system. They had almost no idea of availability of free HPV vaccination at the Sampoorna clinics. This low level of awareness calls for regular training of PHWs on cervical cancer which would ultimately trickle down to the community.

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