Prevalence and Causes of Chronic Energy Deficiency and Obesity in Women of India

Abstract

We investigate the nutritional status of women in India and its relation to the prevalence of chronic energy deficiency (CED) and obesity. To do this, we have used the data from the Indian National Family Health Survey, 1998-1999, on body mass index (BMI) of ever-married women, ages 15-49 years, along with several socioeconomic factors, such as level of education, religion or caste, occupational status, and standard of living index. The study was based on 81,712 women from 26 states and 6 zones, which were grouped according to geographic proximity of the states of India. A multiple linear regression analysis was done to see the relation between nutritional status of women and different socioeconomic factors. The data reveal that the prevalences of CED, overweight, and obesity in India are 31.2%, 9.4%, and 2.6%, respectively. The incidences of CED and obesity are negatively related. The prevalence of CED is the lowest in Arunachal Pradesh and highest in Orissa. Punjab has the highest prevalence of obesity, and Bihar has the lowest. For the zonewise distribution the Northeast zone has the lowest degree of prevalence of CED and the East zone is at the bottom of the list with the highest degree of malnutrition. We also found that the nutritional status of women goes together with the enhancement of their educational status, standard of living, and so on. There are also significant differences between rural and urban sectors and among castes, religions, and occupations. Furthermore, regression analysis shows that all the socioeconomic variables considered here significantly affect BMI in Indian women.

Socio-Economic and Demographic Correlates of Overweight and Obesity: A Study on the Karbi Women of Assam, Northeast India

“…A lower prevalence of obesity has been reported than the present study among the Bengalee 13 and Kayastha 32 populations. In contrast, the prevalence of overweight was significantly higher than those reported for Indian 33 , Rengma Naga 16 and Nyishi tribal 8 women. The prevalence of obesity was observed to be significantly higher than those reported from Tangkul Naga 11 and Nyishi tribal 8 women.…”

Maternal Body Mass Index Is Strongly Associated with ChildrenZ-Scores for Height and BMI

“…Studies have consistently reported that prevalence of CED was very high among women from India. Using data from the Indian National Family Health Survey [68], Bharati et al [69] reported an overall prevalence of CED of 31.20% among women aged 15-49 years. The prevalence of CED was high (20-39%) among Bengalee women as observed by Bose et al [70].…”

Orangutan Energetics and the Influence of Fruit Availability in the Nonmasting Peat-swamp Forest of Sabangau, Indonesian Borneo

“…Responses to energy shortfalls are best understood in humans, in which, while mortality risk is clearly associated with malnutrition (Nieburg et al 1992;Young and Jaspars 1995), many populations in developing countries survive and reproduce successfully with average energy intakes below current recommendations (Durnin et al 1973;Durnin 1979;Edmundson 1980;Schofield and Lambert 1975;Waterlow 1986;WFP 2007). In India, for example, 31.2% of women suffer from chronic energy deficiency (Bharatu et al 2007), yet the country's population grew from 863 million in 1990-1992 to 1050 million in 2001(WFP 2007. Further, a recent study on captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), fed on a calorie-restricted diet 30% lower than their baseline diet for a period of 20 yr, showed that age-related pathologies were reduced and longevity increased in the calorie-restricted group, compared to controls (Colman et al 2009).…”