Nutritional Status and Ageing among Car Nicobarese and Nolia Males of India

The aim of the present study was to compare the changes in nutritional status with advancing age among two underprivileged population groups of India. The study was conducted on 165 Car Nicobarese ,a primitive tribal group of Car Nicobar island and on 155 Nolias belonging to ‘other backward classes’ of Orissa in India. The subjects in both the population groups were in the age range of 20-80 years. Stature, weight, upper arm circumference, hand grip strength were taken on all the subjects. Their nutritional status was assessed using body mass index and upper arm circumference. Most of the Car Nicobarese were found to belong to normal weight category. On the other hand most of the Nolias belonged to underweight category with more than 25 percent of them being CED III. A decline in stature and grip strength with advancing age in both Car Nicobarese and Nolias was found. Significant differences (p<0.001) were obtained for all the measurements between Car Nicobarese and Nolias .The strong hand grip strength among Nolias was directly related to their economic occupation.