Nutritional status of rural non-pregnant non-lactating women in reproductive age

OBJECTIVE: To find out the degree of current undernutrition in rural reproductive age women. SETTING: 49 villages of two adjoining rural blocks of Varanasi. METHODS: 6130 non-pregnant and non-lactating rural women in the age group 18-45 year were studied for sociodemographic characteristics and anthropometry, i.e., weight, height and midarm circumferance. Their percentiles for age and for weight for height were calculated by using cubic spline method. RESULTS: The women in 10th centile weighed < 38 kg and those in > 90th centile weighed 47-48 kg; 74.2% had weight < 45 kg. The 50th centile height ranged between 148-150 cm; 13.5% were < 145 cm. For mid arm circumference 50th and 90th centile values were around 22 and 24 cm, respectively. Mid arm circumference and height had significant linear correlation with weight. CONCLUSION: Around 50% rural UP women in pre-pregnancy state are undernourished. With age these rural women did not change in weight or mid-arm circumference.