Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Nov;13 Suppl 3(Suppl 3):e12557.
doi: 10.1111/mcn.12557.

Nutritional status, food insecurity, and biodiversity among the Khasi in Meghalaya, North-East India

Daniella Anne L Chyne  1 , Indrapal Ishwarji Meshram  1 , Ananthan Rajendran  1 , Venkaiah Kodali  1 , Neeraja Getti  1 , Phrang Roy  2 , Harriet V Kuhnlein  3 , Thingnganing Longvah  1
Affiliations

Nutritional status, food insecurity, and biodiversity among the Khasi in Meghalaya, North-East India

Daniella Anne L Chyne et al. Matern Child Nutr. 2017 Nov.

Abstract

A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out with 603 children ages 5 and under and 500 of their mothers from 510 households to examine the prevalence of undernutrition and chronic diseases among the Khasis of North-East India. Anthropometric measurements including Mid-Upper Arm Circumference, height, and weight were taken. Dry blood spots to estimate haemoglobin and vitamin A were collected from children and women separately by finger prick. Mothers provided data about household socio-demographic particulars and infant and young child feeding practices. The prevalence in children of underweight was 31%, stunting was 57%, and wasting was 10%. Undernutrition was higher among boys as compared to girls. Nutrient intakes were below recommended levels. The prevalence of anaemia among children ages 1 to 5 years old was 68%, and vitamin A deficiency was 59%, and they were 83% and 48%, respectively, among women. Hypertension was observed in 15% of women, whereas diabetes was less than 1%. Only about 20% of households were food secure, and this was associated with parental literacy, per capita income, and family size. Undernutrition was unacceptably high among the Khasis despite rich food biodiversity. Proper implementation of nutritional intervention programs such as Integrated Child Development Services, Mid Day Meal, and the Public Distribution System will improve the nutrient intake and nutritional status of the population. Additionally, preservation of forest lands and products paired with judicious use of the rich food biodiversity available will promote dietary diversity and ultimately better nutrition and health.

Keywords: Khasi; North-East India; biodiversity; children; nutritional status; women.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map of West Khasi Hills in Meghalaya, North‐East India
Figure 2
Figure 2
Growth trends of children below 5 years of age n = 595
Figure 3
Figure 3
Prevalence (%) of undernutrition among Khasi children <5 years of age, by age groups. Prevalence (%) of undernutrition among Khasi children <5 years of age by gender (n = 595). NNMB = National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau
Figure 4
Figure 4
Prevalence (%) of CED and overweight/obesity among adult Khasi women (n = 454) by BMI categories. NNMB = National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau
Figure 5
Figure 5
Prevalence of anaemia (%) among different physiological groups. NNMB = National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau; NPNL, nonpregnant and nonlactating
Figure 6
Figure 6
Prevalence (%) of hypertension (n = 497) and diabetes (n = 461) among adult Khasi women. NNMB = National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau
Figure 7
Figure 7
Distribution (%) of food insecurity among Khasi households (n = 472)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Agrahar‐Murugkar, D. (2005). Nutritional status of Khasi school girls in Meghalaya. Nutrition, 21, 425–431. - PubMed
    1. Agrahar‐Murugkar, D. , & Pal, P. P. (2004). Intake of nutrients and food sources of nutrients among the Khasi tribal women of India. Nutrition, 20, 268–273. - PubMed
    1. Census of India (2011). New Delhi: Office of the Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner, India.
    1. Craft, N. E. , Haitema, T. , Brindle, L. K. , Yamini, S. , Humphrey, J. H. , & West, K. P. (2000). Retinol analysis in dried blood spots by HPLC. The Journal of Nutrition, 130, 882–885. - PubMed
    1. Expert Group of ICMR. (1981). Recommended Dietary Intakes for Indians. New Delhi: Indian Council of Medical Research.

Publication types

MeSH terms