Anthropometric Assessment and Age-Related Patterns of Central Adiposity among Adult Kawar Tribal Women of Chhattisgarh, India

Anthropometric Assessment and Age-Related Patterns of Central Adiposity among Adult Kawar Tribal Women of Chhattisgarh, India Priyanka Subal Das Background: Tribal women may experience a double burden of malnutrition, with undernutrition coexisting with overweight, obesity, and central adiposity. Anthropometric assessment provides a practical means of evaluating nutritional status and body-fat distribution. This study assessed anthropometric characteristics and age-related patterns of central adiposity among adult Kawar tribal women of Chhattisgarh. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 480 adult Kawar tribal women residing in Kota Block, Bilaspur District, Chhattisgarh. Participants were classified into five age groups: 18–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, and ≥60 years. Standardized anthropometric measurements, including height, weight, waist and hip circumference, were obtained. Waist-to-hip ratio and Conicity Index (CI) were used to assess central adiposity. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and chi-square tests were applied. Results: Significant age-related differences were observed in weight (F = 14.606, p< 0.001), height (F = 3.106, p = 0.015), and waist circumference (F = 7.971, p< 0.001). Overall, 63.3% of women had high abdominal obesity/increased cardio-metabolic risk according to CI, 28.5% had moderate central adiposity, and 8.1% had low central adiposity. High abdominal obesity increased from 57.8% among women aged 18–29 years to 84.6% among those aged ≥60 years (χ² = 33.232, df = 8, p< 0.001). Conclusion: Central adiposity was prevalent among the studied Kawar women and increased substantially with age, highlighting the need for age-specific anthropometric screening and community-based nutritional interventions.