Stunting and Underweight among Adolescent Girls of Indigenous Communities in Telangana, India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Ravula, P and Kasala, K and Pramanik, S and Selvaraj, A (2024) Stunting and Underweight among Adolescent Girls of Indigenous Communities in Telangana, India: A Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients (TSI), 16. 01-18. ISSN 2072-6643

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Abstract

India’s indigenous groups remain vulnerable to malnutrition, despite economic progress, reflecting the reliance on traditional agriculture and the problems of poverty and inadequate education and sanitation. This mixed-methods study analyzed the incidence, causes and determinants of chronic malnutrition, measured through stunting, thinness and underweight among adolescent indigenous girls in Telangana. Using 2017 data on 695 girls aged 11–18 years from 2542 households, the analysis showed that 13% had normal nutritional status, while 87% were stunted, underweight or thin. Early adolescents (11–14 years) had higher underweight prevalence (24.4%), while late adolescents (15–18 years) showed greater stunting (30%). Regressions identified key influencing factors. Higher education levels of heads of households and the girls themselves alongside household toilet access significantly improved nutritional status and reduced stunting and underweight. The sociocultural emphasis on starchy staple-based diets and early marriage also impacted outcomes. Tackling this crisis requires mainstreaming nutrition across development agendas via comprehensive policies, education, communication and community participation. Further research can guide context-specific solutions. But, evidence-based investments in indigenous education, livelihoods, sanitation and women’s empowerment are the first steps. Nutrition-sensitive development is indispensable for indigenous groups to fully participate in and benefit from India’s progress.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	Global Research Program - Enabling Systems Transformation
CRP:	UNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords:	malnutrition, indigenous communities, adolescent girls, stunting, dietary practices, nutrition awareness, policies
Subjects:	Mandate crops > Millets Others > India
Depositing User:	Mr Nagaraju T
Date Deposited:	04 Mar 2024 04:17
Last Modified:	04 Mar 2024 04:17
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/12532
Official URL:
Projects:	UNSPECIFIED
Funders:	UNSPECIFIED
Acknowledgement:	The authors acknowledge the assistance of the field enumerators in the data collection. Thanks to K. Ravichand for the digital version of the questionnaire in CS-Pro software and data extraction and validation. The authors highly acknowledge the participation of the respondents involved in this study for their consent for personal interview sessions and biometric measurements. Lastly, this activity is also linked to Flagship Project 6 of the TIGR2ESS Project, and the authors duly acknowledge the support of the Flagship leads for their guidance and support. The authors acknowledge the internal reviewers at ICRISAT who reviewed this manuscript. The manuscript was revised based on the comments of the internal reviewers.
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