KARNATAKA - of Planning Commission

Karnataka Human Development Report 2005ResidenceCasteTABLE 6.22Nutritional status among ever married women in Karnataka: 1999Background characteristics Mean height (cm) Percentage below145 cmWeight mean body index(MBI)Percentage below BMI(18.5kg/m 2 )Urban 151.8 11.4 22.3 23.8Rural 152.1 8.6 19.3 47.0SCs 151.5 11.3 19.1 44.2STs 151.9 9.4 19.2 49.0Low 151.4 11.0 18.9 50.5Standard of living Medium 151.8 9.6 20.1 41.4High 153.3 7.5 23.1 16.5Total 152.0 9.6 20.4 38.8Source: NFHS-2, Karnataka, 1998-99.TABLE 6.23Body Mass Index: Karnataka, southern and other selected statesState Mean height (cm) Percentagebelow 145 cmMean bodyindex (MBI)Percentage with BMIbelow 18.5kg/m 2Andhra Pradesh 151.2 12.7 20.3 37.4Karnataka 152.0 9.6 20.4 38.8Kerala 152.6 8.8 22.0 18.7Tamil Nadu 151.5 12.0 21.0 29.0India 151.2 13.2 20.3 35.8Punjab 154.5 4.1 23.0 16.9Orissa 150.5 14.9 19.2 48.0Source: NHFS-2, India, 1998-99.about 27 per cent are mildly anaemic, about 13per cent are moderately anaemic and a little overtwo per cent are severely anaemic. Women livingin urban areas have signifi cantly lower levels ofall grades of anaemia compared to women inrural areas. This may be an important pointer tothe levels of poor hygienic and environmentalsanitation in rural areas leading to a highprevalence of intestinal worm infection. Womenfrom the SC and ST communities have a higherprevalence of anaemia.The proportion of anaemia among women inKarnataka (42.4) is lower than all-India. AndhraPradesh and Tamil Nadu have a higher prevalenceof anaemia than Karnataka (Table 6.25).Birth weightThe weight of an infant at birth is an importantmeasure of the nutritional status of the motherand an indicator of the child’s survival rate.An infant with birth weight less than 2,500grams is at high risk. It is also probable thatmothers with poor nutritional status will deliverlow-weight babies. The RCH survey data onbirth weight observed that about 20 per cent ofthe infants were below 2,500 grams. In manydistricts more than one-fi fth of the infants werereportedly under-weight. The lowest proportionof under-weight babies was in Bangalore Urban(9 per cent) and the highest in Dharwad district(39 per cent). More than half of the districts hadmore than 20 per cent under weight babies,The weight of an infantat birth is an importantmeasure of the nutritionalstatus of the mother andan indicator of the child’ssurvival rate.143