Effect of interventions on Vitamin A and Iron nutritional status among primitive Tribal children in Nilgiris District

Abstract

Indian tribal people account for 8.14 per cent of the total population of the country, numbering newline84.51 million (Census, 2001). There were 635 tribal groups including 75 designated as primitive newlinebased on pre-agricultural level of technology, low literacy, diminishing population size, relative newlineseclusion from the main stream of population, economical backwardness, extreme poverty, dwelling newlinein remote inaccessible hilly terrains, maintenance of constant touch with the natural environment, and newlineunaffected by the developmental process undergoing in India. There is a consensus that these newlinescheduled tribes are the descendants of aboriginal population in India. Using Random sampling newlinemethod, 4376 PTG Children in the age group of 1 14 years from Nilgiris were screened clinically for newlinesymptoms of VAD, IDA and other micronutrient deficiencies. Among them, 84 children showing newlinemoderate to severe clinical symptoms of VAD and IDA in the age group of 7- 14 years were selected newlinefor the Spirulina supplementation for a period of 180 days. The clinical observations revealed that the newlineprevalence of VAD and IDA is beyond the cutoff points of WHO standards and thereby making it a newlineproblem of public health significance among the screened PTG children. Spirulina supplementation newlineshowed a significant impact on clinical symptoms, nutritional anthropometry, serum retinol and blood haemoglobin when compared to placebo. newline