Skip to content
Home▶ Journals▶ Indian Journal of Extension Education▶Archive▶Vol. 62 No. 1 (2026)▶Dietary Diversity and Nutritional Status of the Oraon…
Indian Journal of Extension Education
Indian Journal of Extension Education ›
Online ISSN 2454-552X
Submit your paper About the journal
Research Article

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

, , , , , , , ,
Seema Kujur — Ph.D. Scholar, Division of Agricultural Extension, CAR-IARI, New Delhi-110012, India
Sukanya Barua — Scientist (Senior Scale), Division of Agricultural Extension, CAR-IARI, New Delhi-110012, India
Manjeet Singh Nain — Professor, Division of Agricultural Extension, CAR-IARI, New Delhi-110012, India
Subhashree Sahu — Scientist (Senior Scale), Division of Agricultural Extension, CAR-IARI, New Delhi-110012, India
V Sangeetha — Senior Scientist, Division of Agricultural Extension, CAR-IARI, New Delhi-110012, India
K V Praveen — Scientist (Senior Scale), Division of Agricultural Economics, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi-110012, India
Girish Kumar Jha — Head, Division of Bioinformatics, ICAR-IASRI, New Delhi-110012, India
Rajat Kumar Nath — Ph.D. Scholar, Division of Agricultural Extension, CAR-IARI, New Delhi-110012, India
Manichandana Gudla — Ph.D. Scholar, Division of Agricultural Extension, CAR-IARI, New Delhi-110012, India
Published 27 Dec 2025 Vol. 62 No. 1 (2026), pp. 99-104 ● Open access
❝ How to cite 🔗 https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2026.62116
Formats:PDF ● Open access
Download PDF

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 per cent of the respondents met the minimum dietary diversity criteria, and 78 per cent 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 per cent of the women had normal BMI, whereas 48.75 per cent were affected by chronic energy deficiency, and a transition towards obesity was evident. 73.50 per cent 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. 

 

KeywordsOraon tribal womenNutritional statusDietary diversityAnthropometryBody mass indexUndernutritionMalnutrition

The full text of this article is available as a PDF.

Download PDF
  1. Ariyo, O., Akinyemi, J. O., Adeyemo, T., Oladiran, S., Shittu, O., Oyejobi, O., Ekundayo, G., Otunla, A., Adeagbo, A., Kayode, M., Adeleye, V., & Samuel, F. O. (2025). Empowerment and minimum dietary diversity among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. Global Social Welfare, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40609-025-00402-9
  2. Benítez Brito, N., Suárez Llanos, J. P., Fuentes Ferrer, M., Oliva García, J. G., Delgado Brito, I., Pereyra-García Castro, F., Caracena Castellanos, N., Acevedo Rodríguez, C. X., & Palacio Abizanda, E. (2016). Relationship between mid-upper arm circumference and body mass index in inpatients. PLOS ONE, 11(8), e0160480. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0160480
  3. Bhattacharya, A., Mukherjee, S., & Roy, S. K. (2019). Nutritional assessment of Oraons of West Bengal: A comparison between biochemical and anthropometric methods. Anthropological Review, 82(3), 297–306.
  4. Chakona, G., & Shackleton, C. (2017). Minimum dietary diversity scores for women indicate micronutrient adequacy and food insecurity status in South African towns. Nutrients, 9, 812. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9080812
  5. Das, A., Saimala, G., Reddy, N., Mishra, P., Giri, R., Kumar, A., Kumar, R. A., Chaturvedi, S., Babu, S., Srikantiah, S., & Mahapatra, T. (2020). Mid-upper arm circumference as a substitute of the body mass index for assessment of nutritional status among adult and adolescent females: Learning from an impoverished Indian state. Public Health, 179, 68–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2019.09.010
  6. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2021). Minimum dietary diversity for women. FAO. https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/dee8f29f-cf6c-4dcb-9cb9-05c263e7219b
  7. Garrow, J. S. (1987). Energy balance in man: An overview. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 45(5), 1114–1119. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/45.5.1114
  8. Ghosh-Jerath, S., Singh, A., Lyngdoh, T., Magsumbol, M. S., Kamboj, P., & Goldberg, G. (2018). Estimates of indigenous food consumption and their contribution to nutrient intake in Oraon tribal women of Jharkhand, India. Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 39(4), 581–594.
  9. Kandel, B., Khatri, D., Koirala, A. K., Chhetri, Y., & Manandhar, A. (2024). Dietary intake pattern and nutritional status of women of reproductive age in slum areas of Pokhara Metropolitan. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2024(1), 6677529. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/6677529
  10. Kapoor, R., Sabharwal, M., & Ghosh-Jerath, S. (2022). Diet quality, nutritional adequacy, and anthropometric status among indigenous women of reproductive age group (15–49 years) in India: A narrative review. Dietetics, 2(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/dietetics2010001
  11. Khadatkar, A., Dubey, U. C., Saini, N., & Ramadas, S. (2024). Assessment of nutritional status and habitual dietary intake of Indian farm women: Evidence from a case study in central India. Nutrition, 118, 112262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2023.112262
  12. Kumbhare, N. V., Sangeetha, V., & Padaria, R. N. (2023). Food and nutrition consumption of rural households in northern India. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 59(1), 50–53. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2023.59111
  13. Majumder, N. (2022). Nutritional status of married tribal women in Jharkhand, India. Indian Journal of Gender Studies, 29(1), 76–97.
  14. Mishra, N., Modak, S., Padhy, C., & Badavath, A. (2025). Factors influencing farming practices towards nutrition-sensitive agriculture in southern Odisha. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 61(3), 86–91. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2025.61316
  15. Mittal, P. C., & Srivastava, S. (2006). Diet, nutritional status, and food-related traditions of Oraon tribes of New Mal (West Bengal), India. Rural and Remote Health, 6(2), 1–11.
  16. Monika, Chishty, S., & Singh, N. (2018). Nutritional status of tribal women (Saharia and Meena), Baran district of Rajasthan, India. Nutrition & Food Science, 48(6), 922–939. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-01-2018-0018
  17. Negi, S., Srinath, N., & Akshay, M. (2024). Comparing mid-upper arm circumference with body mass index for assessing nutritional status in Indian adults: Evidence from the National Family Health Survey 2015–16 (NFHS-4). Cureus, 16(5), e59629.
  18. Nongrum, M. S., Pawera, L., & Mawroh, B. (2022). Dietary diversity and its determinants among Khasi and Garo indigenous women (15–49 years) in Meghalaya, northeast India. Nutrition and Health, 28(2), 249–256. https://doi.org/10.1177/02601060211016629
  19. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. (2011a). A-11 Appendix: District-wise scheduled tribe population, Jharkhand (Census of India 2011). Government of India. https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/43019
  20. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. (2011b). A-11 Appendix: District-wise scheduled tribe population, Chhattisgarh (Census of India 2011). Government of India. https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/43021
  21. Prithishkumar, I. J., Sappani, M., Ranjan, V., Garg, C., Mani, T., Babu, M., Joy, M., Rao, B., Asirvatham, E. S., & Lakshmanan, J. (2024). Double burden of malnutrition among women of reproductive age: Trends and determinants over the last 15 years in India. PLOS ONE, 19(6), e0304776. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0304776
  22. Priyanka, Siddiqui, A., Kashyap, K., Das, S., & Bose, K. (2024). A systematic review on nutritional status of women in India: An outline. Antrocom: Online Journal of Anthropology, 20(1), 415–422.
  23. Rao, K. M., Balakrishna, N., Arlappa, N., Laxmaiah, A., & Brahmam, G. N. V. (2010). Diet and nutritional status of women in India. Journal of Human Ecology, 29(3), 165–170.
  24. Rohini, Y. N., Sahana, H. C., & Dhanvarsha, S. (2025). Association between mid-upper arm circumference and body mass index as indicators of nutritional status in Indian adults: A National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-based study. International Journal of Life Sciences, Biotechnology and Pharma Research, 14(8).
  25. Salih, Y., Omar, S. M., AlHabardi, N., & Adam, I. (2023). The mid-upper arm circumference as a substitute for body mass index in the assessment of nutritional status among pregnant women: A cross-sectional study. Medicina, 59(6), 1001. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina59061001
  26. Sekhri, A., Ranawat, R., Jain, H., & Lodha, K. (2025). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices in sustainable nutrition in late adulthood: A qualitative analysis. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 61(2), 85–90. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2025.61216
  27. Shamna, A., Biswas, P., Jha, S. K., Sarkar, S., & Kumar, S. (2018). Tribal farm women’s participation in agriculture and factors influencing it: Evidence from West Bengal, India. Journal of Agricultural Science & Technology, 20(5).
  28. Tonder, E. V., Mace, L., Steenkamp, L., Tydeman-Edwards, R., Gerber, K., & Friskin, D. (2019). Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) as a feasible tool in detecting adult malnutrition. South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 32(4), 93–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2018.1484622

Looking up citing articles…

    Creative Commons License

    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.