Mother and child nutrition among the Chakhesang tribe in the state of Nagaland, North‐East India

Abstract

Despite the importance of the nutritional status and food systems of Indigenous Peoples, the subject has received very little attention, especially in North-East India. Therefore, a community-based cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among Chakhesang mothers with children under 5 years of age to evaluate their nutritional status and prevalence of chronic diseases in the context of their dietary habits. From 558 households (HHs), 661 children and 540 mothers were covered using standard anthropometric measurements as well as blood collection for haemoglobin and vitamin A. Data were collected from mothers on HH socio-demographic particulars and infant and young child feeding practices. The results showed that the prevalence of underweight, stunting, and wasting among children <5 years of age was 14%, 22%, and 7%, respectively. The prevalence of anaemia and vitamin A deficiency was 26% and 33% among children <5 years, whereas it was 33% and 26%, respectively, among mothers. Hypertension was observed in 16% of women, whereas diabetes was seen in 0.8%. Approximately 35% and 24% of HHs suffered mild or moderate food insecurity, respectively, which was associated with literacy of the parents, per capita income, and family size. Utilization of the rich agrobiodiversity and wild foods by the Chakhesangs appears to be a strong reason for their better nutritional and health status as compared to the rest of India. Therefore, this Indigenous knowledge and food system must be documented and kept vital, especially in policies and intervention programmes addressing food and nutrition security among the Chakhesangs.

Malnutrition based on mid upper arm circumference and dietary consumption pattern of Lodha tribal children of West Bengal, India

“…1,[26][27][28] On the other hand, present rate was higher than those reported from other parts of India. [29][30][31][32] Prevalence of wasting of those studies varies from 11% to 70%, Indicating nutritional status of Indian children is not satisfactory. 1,32 A study from West Bengal, India showed the percentages of under-nutrition among girls and boys were 18.46% and 19.38%, respectively.…”

“…[29][30][31][32] Prevalence of wasting of those studies varies from 11% to 70%, Indicating nutritional status of Indian children is not satisfactory. 1,32 A study from West Bengal, India showed the percentages of under-nutrition among girls and boys were 18.46% and 19.38%, respectively. 29 While, another study reported prevalence of undernutrition was identical in both genders.…”

Changing gender roles and relations in food provisioning among matrilineal Khasi and patrilineal Chakhesang Indigenous rural People of North‐East India

“…The current study is part of a larger programme that aims to assess agrobiodiversity use and knowledge, dietary diversity, food security, nutritional status, and the well-being of Khasi adults and children in the West Khasi Hills district in Meghalaya and in the Phek district in Nagaland (Chyne et al, 2017;Longvah et al, 2017). This qualitative research study, which represents a portion of the larger investigation, aims at exploring the differences in gender roles, gender relations, and women's status between the Indigenous matrilineal Khasi and patrilineal Chakhesang societies.…”

“…These villages were selected by adopting a random sampling procedure based on the sample applied for the larger study by the National Institute of Nutrition (see Chyne et al, 2017;Longvah et al, 2017).…”

Gender roles, food system biodiversity, and food security in Indigenous Peoples' communities

“…This important work must be fostered and supported. This has been especially described for the extensive biodiversity in Asian cultures of Karen, Khasi, and Chakesang, (Chyne et al, ; Longvah et al, ; Sirisai et al, ) which are among the cultures where the highest numbers of unique local food species have been recorded, but also for the traditional cultural dishes described for the Ohafia, Haudenosaunee, Tungurahua, Berber, and Ainu (Ene‐Obong, Onuoha & Eme, ; Delormier et al, ; Roche, Ambato, Sarsoza, & Kuhnlein, ; Belahsen, Naciri, & El Ibrahimi, ; Iwasaki‐Goodman, ). Making better use of local food biodiversity and its related Indigenous knowledge can improve dietary diversity, enjoyment of food and cultural practices, and nutritional status in communities, and thereby prevent malnutrition expressed as undernutrition and/or overweight that results from unhealthy food consumption patterns.…”