title: Physical growth and nutritional status of Car Nicobarese and Moplah children of Andaman-Nicobar Islands in India.
abstract: The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess growth and nutritional status of Car Nicobarese children and compare it with Moplah children, who live in a similar environment. A total of 436 Car Nicobarese children and 438 Moplah children, aged 6-10 years, were selected for the study. The anthropometric measurements included stature, body weight, sitting height, bi-acromial breadth, bi-iliac breadth, mid-upper arm circumference, skinfold thickness of biceps, triceps and subscapular region. 50th percentile (median) growth curves were calculated among the studied children and compared with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2000 reference. Z scores of weight for age (WAZ), height for age (HAZ) and BMI for age (BMIZ) were computed using growth references of the CDC 2000. It was observed that the Car Nicobarese children were shorter but heavier than Moplah children of both sexes all through the age range, which was also reflected in median value of anthropometric variables. Car Nicobarese children were nutritionally better compared to Moplah children based on the nutritional indices. The major differences between Car Nicobarese and Moplah children were found in their arm muscularity rather than arm adiposity. Overall, Car Nicobarese children were nutritionally in normal and better condition than Moplah children. However, present dietary change (intake of high calories and fat diet) of Car Nicobarese population may be reflected in the form of childhood obesity in the recent future, which has already been observed in their adult population.
authors.affiliation: Anthropological Survey of India, Head Office, 27 Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Kolkata 700 016, West Bengal, India. Electronic address: rameshrksahani@rediffmail.com.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sahani
authors.affiliation: Anthropological Survey of India, Eastern Regional Centre, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700 067, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dinda
authors.affiliation: Anthropological Survey of India, Head Office, 27 Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Kolkata 700 016, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Mrinalini Datta Mahavidyapith, Kolkata 700 051, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakrabarty
authors.affiliation: Biological Anthropology Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, 203 B.T. Road, Kolkata 700 108, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bharati
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status