ABSTRACT
The Khasi tribal people in India with their distinct ethnic identity have relative geographic isolation from the rest of the country. Although chronic energy deficiency has been documented in this population, their nutritional status has not been re-evaluated following a decade of economic growth in India. In this study, the nutritional status of an ethno-homogenous sample of contemporary Khasi tribal adolescent cohort of age 11+ to 17+ years in the state of Meghalaya, India has been assessed by cross sectional analysis. This was achieved through the use of the following derived anthropometric measurements - total upper arm area (TUA), upper arm muscle area (UMA), upper arm fat area (UFA), and arm fat index (AFI). A total of 670 adolescents (335 boys; 335 girls) participated in this study. In comparison with North American NHANES 1999-2002 standards, UMA, a measure of upper arm muscle mass, was lower at all age groups in Khasi girls. Conversely, in Khasi boys, AFI, a marker of upper arm fat mass was lower at all age groups, thereby showing a gender dimorphic difference in upper limb muscle and fat proportions. We conclude that in upper arm indirect anthropometry, contemporary Khasi adolescent children remain nutritionally deficient with gender dimorphic muscle and fat proportions.
