Anthropometric indicators as measures of nutritional vulnerability and determinants of anthropometric failure among tribal school children in Anaikatti, Coimbatore district Tamil Nadu

Abstract: Malnutrition is an emerging health problem that has challenged healthcare authorities worldwide. This study aims to determine anthropometric measurements and the malnutrition status children of Anaikatti tribal area of Coimbatore district. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 97 tribal school children (48 boys and 49 girls) aged 5-14 years in Anaikatti village. Socioeconomic data were collected using a structured questionnaire; anthropometric measurements were assessed using standard WHO procedures. All participants belonged to the lower middle-income group. Among boys aged 5-9 years, 8% exhibited thinness, 24% were overweight, 4% were obese and 64% belongs to normal anthropometric status. In the 10-14-year group, 35% were with normal anthropometrics, 13% showed severe thinness, 26.1% thinness, 27.1% overweight, and 8.7% obesity. Among girls aged 5-9 years, 7.7% were thin, 61.6% with normal anthropometrics, 26.9% overweight, and 3.8% obese, while in the 10-14-year group, only 17.4% were with normal anthropometrics, 26.1% had severe thinness, 43.5% thinness, and 8.7% overweight, and 4.3% obesity. Despite belonging to the same socioeconomic group, both under-nutrition and over-nutrition coexisted, indicating a double burden of malnutrition. Personalized nutrition education and counseling sessions were conducted for all participants and their parents to improve awareness and promote healthy eating practices. The study highlights a significant coexistence of thinness and overweight among tribal school children in Anaikatti, emphasizing the need for school based targeted nutritional interventions and continuous community-based education.

Keywords: anthropometry, nutrition education, obesity, thinness, Tribal children, nutrition education