Anthropometric Characteristics and Nutritional Status based on Body Mass Index of Adults in Rural Orissa, India – A Cross-sectional Survey

The authors sought to examine anthropometric characteristics and nutritional status based on body mass index (BMI) of adults in Rural Orissa, India. A total of 250 subjects who met inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. Anthropometric characteristics such as height, weight, mid upper arm circumference were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated by the standard equation. Chronic energy deficiency (CED) was evaluated to find out the severity of malnutrition. The mean (SD) age of the subjects was 38.95 (15.12) years. The mean (SD) height, weight and BMI were 161.02 (8.69) cm, 52.5 (8.42) kg and 20.24 (2.84) kg/m 2 , respectively. The prevalence of CED (BMI < 18.5) was 25.6%. This prevalence of under nutrition (25.6%) was high (20% to 39%) indicating a serious situation. Hence, immediate nutritional intervention programs are needed for the rural population of Orissa. Keywords: Anthropometric characteristics, Nutritional status, Body mass index, Chronic energy deficiency