Body mass index in adult jaunsari tribe population of Dehradun district of Uttarakhand

Introduction: Obesity is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. It is one of the defining components of cardiometabolic syndrome. Several indices are there for measurement of obesity, but body mass index (BMI) is relatively better than others and can be measured by the individual himself/herself. There is lack of such study for Jaunsari tribe population of Dehradun district of Uttarakhand. These values can also be used as standard for future reference for Jaunsari population. The study was planned to study parameters related to BMI in adult Jaunsari tribe of district Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The objectives of the study were: (1) to study BMI and the parameters related to it in adult male and female population of Jaunsari tribe of Dehradun district in Uttarakhand, (2) to analyze the sex differences in these parameters, and (3) to analyze statistical significance of the difference. Material and Methods: The study was carried on 100 adult males and 100 adult females of >18 years of age, belonging to Jaunsari tribe, after due approval from the institutional ethical committee and informed consent. The methodology adopted for the anthropometric measurements was of Singh and Bhasin (1968), and concerned measurements were done. Results: The mean weight, height, and BMI are found to be 50.90 ± 9.92 kg and 59.81 ± 10.74 kg, 152.43 ± 5.63 cm and 165.39 ± 7.23 cm, and 21.90 ± 4.05 and 21.85 ± 3.65 in female and male Jaunsari population, respectively, with statistically significant variation in both weight and height across gender with little or no variation in BMI. Standing height of majority of females falls under class short (54%) or very short (39%), whereas 32% of males are tall, 21% are lower medium, and 22% are short. This means that BMI falls into the category of “normal weight". Discussion and Conclusion: Hence, it is concluded that the mean BMI is 21.90 ± 4.05 kg and 21.85 ± 3.65 kg in female and male Jaunsari population, respectively, which falls into the category of “normal weight.” This may be attributed to their traditional lifestyle and typical geographical location. This can be used as standard for future reference for Jaunsari population.