ISSN 2326-7291
International Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology ISSN 2326-7291 Vol. 9 (1), pp. 001-007, January, 2020. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Emerging health threats among a primitive tribal group of Central India
Satwanti Kapoor1* Renu Tyagi1, Kiran Saluja2, Anumeha Chaturvedi1 and A.K. Kapoor1
1Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007, India.
2Department of Public Health, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen - AB25 2ZD, Scotland, UK.
Accepted 23 October, 2019
Abstract
A cross-sectional study was conducted among adult Saharia, a primitive tribal group (PTG) of Madhya Pradesh. A total of 364 subjects (168 males and 196 females) ranging in age group 18 - 60 years were divided into two groups based on their random blood sugar level. Stature, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, skin fold thicknesses, fat percent, blood pressure and blood sugar level were measured for all the subjects. 8.9% males and 7.1% females were found to be having more than 140 mg/dl random sugar level. All the skin fold thicknesses, body circumference, indices of adiposity, fat percentage and blood pressure were found to be significantly higher among the ‘pre-diabetic males’. The picture was not so clear among females. Saharia is a socio-economically weaker population with very low literacy level but the clustering of higher blood sugar level, higher blood pressure and higher fat percentage is an indicator of a beginning of metabolic syndrome among this primitive tribal group showing a paradoxical situation.
Key words: Adiposity, subcutaneous fat, blood sugar, primitive tribal group, India.