Prevalence of Chronic Energy Deficiency in Rural-Dwelling Older Indian Adults During a Period of Severe Drought

Abstract

The prevalence of chronic energy deficiency (CED = BMI < 18.5) among older adults (≥60 years) was assessed utilizing a large data set from a community-based cross-sectional study carried out in severely drought-affected rural areas of India. Anthropometric measurements (height, weight) were recorded for a total of 3,147 individuals, and a family diet survey (one day 24-hour recall) was carried out in 1,900 households (HHs) from 190 villages. As per the Body Mass Index (BMI), the prevalence of CED was 51.1% and 48.5% among older males and females, respectively. It was higher (p < 0.001) in the 70 years and older age group compared with those aged 60-69 years. In general, the prevalence of CED was higher (p < 0.001) for those belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes, for HHs of agricultural and non-agricultural labor, and for marginal or small farmers. The prevalence of CED was relatively lower (p > 0.05) among older adults during the drought period compared with the non-drought period. This could be attributed to intervention programs initiated by the government of India during the drought. These findings illustrate the value of intervention programs in drought-afflicted and drought-prone areas and underscore the importance of monitoring the nutritional status of older adults so that appropriate programs can be initiated as needed.

Association between Farming and Chronic Energy Deficiency in Rural South India

“…Few other studies have been undertaken to assess the relationship between farming and CED. One cross-sectional study conducted during drought in 1347 rural Indian adults provided evidence for a higher prevalence of CED in individuals at socioeconomic disadvantage and in households engaged in marginal and small sized farming [28]. In a survey, based on data from the 2005/06 National Nutrition Survey across twenty major Indian states, improved agricultural performance was found to markedly reduce the risk of CED in adults and body wasting in young children [29].…”

Dietary Diversity and Its Relationship With Nutritional Status Among Adolescents and Adults in Rural India

“…Subasinghe et al (2014) found that subsistence farming was strongly associated with CED in south Indian men and women. Arlappa et al (2009) provided evidence for a higher prevalence of CED in individuals at socioeconomic disadvantage and in small and marginal farmer households, while Gulati et al (2012), using data from the National Family Health Survey 2005-06 (NFHS-3) and national accounts, reported that improved agricultural performance markedly reduced the risk of CED in adults and can have a positive impact on nutritional outcomes.…”

Is agricultural engagement associated with lower incidence or prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular disease risk factors? A systematic review of observational studies from low- and middle-income countries

“…All studies suggested that farmers had higher prevalence of underweight than homemakers, [36] manual and non-manual women [38]; business, [39] government and non-government [36] women and men; and 'other' (than non-agricultural) workers in analyses combining genders. [37] The prevalence of underweight was higher among farming than among self-employed men but not women. [36] Underweight was more prevalent among farmers than among unemployed women, [38] but similar to students, retired and unemployed people (the latter two were combined in gender-specific analyses).…”

“…The longitudinal study followed up participants 10 years from baseline. The cross-sectional studies comprised eight analyses of primary data [30][31][32][33][34][35][36]; two secondary analyses of existing cross-sectional data [37,38]; and three cross-sectional analyses of longitudinal data, [39][40][41] of which two used data from different time points of one study. [40,41] Study settings and characteristics differed substantially between studies.…”

“…[40,41] Study settings and characteristics differed substantially between studies. Most studies were from Asia (India [31,33,[35][36][37][38][39] and China [29,40,41]); one was from Latin America (Guatemala [32]) and two were from Sub-Saharan Africa (Ghana [30] and Nigeria [34]). Eight studies analysed data from rural populations and five studies additionally included urban participants (including migrants).…”