Objective: To study the feasibility of iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation among tribal adolescent girls and identify factors associated with high compliance. Design: Intervention study with IFA supplementation among tribal adolescent girls of Bijadandi block, Mandla district, Madhya Pradesh, India. Girls (n 274) from twelve villages randomly selected out of 100 potential villages received daily tablets containing iron (III) hydroxide polymaltose complex equivalent to 100 mg of elemental Fe and 350 mg of folic acid (commercially available as Feritas tablets, marketed by Intas Pharmaceutical Ltd, India). IFA was given for 100 d and supervised by school teachers and anganwadi workers. Compliance was measured using cards and interviews. Setting: Community-based iron supplementation programme. Subjects: Tribal adolescent girls aged 12-19 years. Results: In total 233 girls completed the study. Prevalence of anaemia was reduced from 94 % at baseline to 69 % after the intervention. Compliance rate (.80 tablets) was 89 %. Minor side-effects were reported by three girls, yet they consumed .80 tablets. Factors associated with compliance included fasting during the local festival (x 2 5 72?74, df 3; P , 0?0001) and counselling (x 2 5 72?74, df 3; P , 0?0001). Other qualitative factors like social mobilization, timely supply of tablets, quality of tablets (blister pack) and availability of teachers and anganwadi workers were also associated with the compliance and feasibility. Conclusions: High compliance indicates that IFA supplementation with tablets is feasible among the tribal adolescent girls of Bijadandi block, Mandla district.

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India's Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC), started in 1999, has the primary aim of 'eradicating the practice of open defecation by 2012'. This paper describes a cross-sectional health indicator study of four villages-two 'open-defecation free' (ODF) villages and two non-ODF villages) in Madhya Pradesh in 2006. The study included:(a) an epidemiological investigation based on a study population of 1,245 individuals; (b) microbiological and parasitological examinations of 10 per cent of stool samples from study population; and (c) water quality and sanitary inspection analysis. Results from the study indicate that both diarrhoeal morbidity and overall worm infestations from stool samples reduced in the ODF villages. Results however indicated high levels of microbiological contamination of the water supplies in ODF villages as well as an increased prevalence of hookworm infestation in 16 per cent of the population. These results refl ect that, as revealed by interviews, despite improved latrine coverage, many ODF villages are still practising open fi eld defecation resulting in the transmission of hookworms through the human-soil-human contamination route. The study concluded that, to maximize the health benefi t of ODF, a choice of alternative sanitation technology options combined with appropriate hygiene promotion must be undertaken.

The study was carried out to determine the health and morbidity status of Bharia tribe. A total of ten villages were surveyed, and total of 172 households and nine hundred ten individuals were covered. The major occupation of the head in the households surveyed is agriculture and agriculture labor. 66.4 percent of the population was illiterate. Acute respiratory infection and fever were the commonest morbidity found more in preschool and school going children than adult population. According to weight for age, 52.5 percent of the Preschool children were underweight (<-2SD). Stunting was 48.1 and wasting was 33.9 percent. Prevalence of chronic energy deficiency (BMI<18.5) was about 35.6 percent in adult population. Bharia Children are suffering with more morbidity like fever, respiratory infection and malnutrition than adult population.