Health status of Koraga community: A pilot study among a particularly vulnerable tribal group of Udupi District, Karnataka, India

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Undertaking tribe-specific assessment of health status provides the required data for planning appropriate interventions. Hence, a study was conducted to assess the health profile of the Koraga tribe. METHODS: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among a particularly vulnerable tribal group, the Koragas residing in the Udupi district. Data were collected using a pro forma and were analyzed using the SPSS software version 16.0. RESULTS: A total of 273 participants aged ≥18 yr and 94 children aged ≤17 yr were recruited through screening and referral services organized in Koraga hamlets of the Udupi district. Among the adults, 59.7 per cent were females and their median age was 35 yr. About 13.9 per cent had elevated blood pressure and 18.4 per cent had impaired/elevated random blood sugar levels. About 47.6 per cent were underweight and 35.2 per cent were anaemic. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that individuals with morbidities were more likely to be aged ≥45 yr [45-60 yr: adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=4.3; 95 per cent confidence interval (CI)=1.3-13.8 and >60 yr: AOR=6.4; 95 per cent CI=1.7-23.7] and overweight or obese [23-24.9 kg/m(2): AOR=8.1; 95% CI=1.3-48.2 and >25 kg/m(2): AOR=7.9; 95% CI=1.6-38.4]. Of the 26 Koraga children aged ≤5 yr, 30.7 and 42.3 per cent had their height for age and weight for age below the third percentile, respectively. Further, 15.3 per cent of under-five children and 27.9 per cent of 6-17 yr old children were severely wasted. About 21.2 per cent of the children aged ≤17 yr were found to be anaemic and 56.3 per cent had symptoms of respiratory tract infection in the past 15 days. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: Malnutrition was prevalent among Koraga adults and children, which warrants designing and implementing appropriate social and health interventions in this population.