Authors : Meghali Joharapurkar
Page Nos : 15-22
Description :
The health of Indian women is intrinsically linked to their status in the society, especially for those living in a rural area. Anthropometric indicators may be reflective of past events, predictive of future events, or indicative of current nutritional status. The study was conducted in seven villages viz., Gourala, Khairi, Devli, Kalmana, Chikna, Salai and Vihirgaon of Nagpur District. About 200 rural women between the age group of 21 – 40 years were selected on the basis of purposive sampling from the selected villages. A structured questionnaire was developed which consisted of questions related to demographic and socioeconomic profile and anthropometric measurements. The interview cum questionnaire method was used for eliciting information. The anthropometry viz., height, weight and mid arm circumference were recorded as per standard methods. Haemoglobin status was also recorded. Only 61% of 21-30 years and 65% of 31-40 years of age group of women were found in normal BMI category (18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2). A significant difference was observed between the women of both the age group with respect to BMI (t=2.082, p= 0.039) and mid upper arm circumference (t=2.837, p= 0.005). The statistical analysis did not show a significant difference (t=0.627, p= 0.531) between the mean haemoglobin levels of 21-30 and 31-40 years of women. But about 61% women of 21-30 years and 57% of 31-40 years had moderate anaemia. Hence the conclusions can be drawn that there is a necessity of nutritional programmes in rural areas among the rural women.
