Association Of Mean Arterial Blood Pressure With Nutritional Status And Central Obesity Among Adult Santal Population Of Purba Bardhaman District Of West Bengal, India

Background: Hypertension and malnutrition both became global concerns with their increasing prevalence rates worldwide; therefore, blood pressure and nutritional conditions now become the most important domains of research in the aspect of public health. This study has also contributed to the same domain. Objectives: To ascertain the association of Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) with nutritional status and central obesity in the study population of Purba Bardhaman district. Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 398 adult Santal individuals (159 males and 239 females) inhabiting primarily Chotkonda Village and some of its neighboring villages of Debipur under the Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal, India, have been included. MAP, BMI, MUAC, and WHR are the main indicators used in this study to ascertain the individuals’ health status in terms of blood pressure, nutritional status, and central obesity. Results: The study has revealed that a sufficient percentage of the population is suffering from poor health conditions in terms of blood pressure, nutritional status, and central obesity. There is also sexual asymmetry found only in blood pressure (U = 15796.00**, p = 0.004) and central obesity (U = 9983.00**, p<0.001). The study exhibited a weaker positive correlation of MAP with other indicators (RBMI = 0.203, P<0.01; RMUAC = 0.145, P<0.01; RWHR = 0.172, P<0.01). Conclusion: It has been concluded that blood pressure has little to no control over determining the nutritional status and central obesity of the individuals in this particular population.