The nutritional status of indigenous people in the Garhwal Himalayas, India
Anuradha Dutta; Kiran Pant
Mountain Research and Development 23(3): 278-283
2003
ISSN/ISBN: 0276-4741 DOI: 10.1659/0276-4741(2003)023[0278:tnsoip]2.0.co;2Document Number: 253056
A study was carried out between April and July 2000 to assess the level of undernutrition among indigenous people in the Garhwal Himalayas, Uttaranchal, India, in relation to agroclimatic conditions. The term "indigenous" in this context refers to the native born people of the Garhwal Himalayas, also known as Garhwali. 854 respondents were studied in 3 agroclimatic situations (high hills, mid hills and low hills, also classified by Gupta (1983) as subtropical (250-1200 m), subtemperate (1200-1700 m) and temperate (1700-3500 m), respectively) as well as in rural and urban settings. The study revealed that over 30% of the population suffered from undernutrition, which is higher than the average of 20% according to Wardlaw (2000). However, gender did not appear to affect the level of undernutrition. The agroclimatic situation had the maximum negative impact on the nutritional status of the indigenous population. The rural people were also more undernourished than the urban population. It is concluded that the people residing in high hills and rural areas, on whom developmental activities should be focused, are relatively undernourished.