Dietary Diversity and Nutritional Status of the Oraon Tribal Women: An Anthropometric Measurement Approach

Seema Kujur; Sukanya Barua; Manjeet Singh Nain; Subhashree Sahu; V. Sangeetha; KV Praveen; Girish Kumar Jha; Rajat Kumar Nath; Manichandana Gudla

doi:10.48165/IJEE.2026.62116

Authors

Seema Kujur ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
Sukanya Barua ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
Manjeet Singh Nain ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
Subhashree Sahu ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
V. Sangeetha ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
KV Praveen ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
Girish Kumar Jha ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi
Rajat Kumar Nath ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
Manichandana Gudla ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi

https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2026.62116

Keywords:

Oraon Tribal Women, Nutritional Status, Dietary Diversity, Anthropometry, Body Mass Index, Undernutrition, Malnutrition.

Abstract

The study was conducted among the Oraon tribal women of Chhota Nagpur Plateau, comprising Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, during 2024-25. Using multi-stage random sampling, 400 respondents were selected. The data concerning dietary diversity was collected using a structured interview schedule. Anthropometric measurement tools, including BMI and MUAC, were employed to measure nutritional status. Only 22% of the respondents met the minimum dietary diversity criteria, and 78% of women had an inadequate nutritional intake, eating less than five defined food groups. A Welch’s ANOVA test highlighted significant variation in dietary intake across selected districts. Only 37.75% of the women had normal BMI, whereas 48.75% were affected by chronic energy deficiency, and a transition towards obesity was evident. 73.50% of women were in the undernutrition category, defined by a MUAC cut-off below 22.8 cm. A comparison of nutritional status across selected districts highlighted no significant difference. The Pearson correlation analysis indicated a significant positive relationship between BMI and MUAC. The findings highlighted the efforts to address malnutrition in Oraon tribal women and enhance women’s nutritional outcomes through kitchen gardening, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and effective implementation of government nutrition programs.

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