BHUBANESWAR: A comprehensive health assessment of Odisha’s Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) has revealed that around one in seven adults suffer from hypertension and more than half of tribal women affected by anaemia.
The findings by Utkal University were based on a survey of 10 PVTGs across the state. Among adult men, 15.15 per cent were found to be hypertensive, while the prevalence among women stood at 14.38 per cent. Though the majority of the surveyed population maintained normal blood pressure levels, the report flagged the rising incidence of hypertension in several communities as an emerging public health concern.
The Hill Kharia community recorded the highest prevalence of hypertension among men at 27.55%, followed by the Lanjia Saora (22.56%), Lodha (21.93%) and Paudi Bhuiyan (21.09%). Among women, the Lodha community reported the highest prevalence at 24.81%, followed by Paudi Bhuiyan (22.63%), Mankidia (22.03%) and Hill Kharia (21.77%). In contrast, the Juang, Kutia Kandha and Bonda communities recorded comparatively lower rates of hypertension among both men and women.
The report ‘Socio-Cultural, Demographic Nutrition and Health Status of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Odisha’ attributed the increasing prevalence of hypertension in some tribal groups to changing dietary habits, reduced physical activity, psychosocial stress and greater exposure to mainstream lifestyles, while also pointing to possible genetic factors.
The survey highlighted an alarming burden of anaemia, particularly among women. Of the 1,261 adult women surveyed, 53.37% were anaemic. Mankidia women recorded the highest prevalence at 72.88%, followed by Lanjia Saora (71.14%) and Bonda (67.40%). More than half of the women from Hill Kharia (55.24%) and Didayi (53.33%) communities were also anaemic.
Among 1,015 adult men surveyed, 36.95% were anaemic, indicating that more than one in three suffered from low haemoglobin levels. Anaemia was most prevalent among Mankidia men (59.18%), followed by Bonda (56.30%), Lodha (47.32%) and Lanjia Saora (39.26%). Dongria Kandha (13.04%), Kutia Kandha (25.84%) and Didayi (28.08%) recorded relatively lower prevalence.
Widespread anaemia among women of reproductive age could increase the risk of maternal mortality, preterm births and poor child development.
The authors, Prasanna Kumar Patra, Mitali Chinara, Subhendu Kumar Acharya, Suresh Chandra Murmu and Binoy Kumar Kuiti also found that just 18.94% of PVTG women in the state use sanitary napkins, while 83.06% continue to rely on cloth or other traditional materials due to financial constraints, limited access and entrenched cultural practices.
The lowest use of sanitary napkins is observed among the Lodha, Dongria Kandha and Kutia Kandha communities, whereas relatively higher adoption is reported among the Mankidia and Lanjia Saora. Despite government initiatives to promote menstrual hygiene, the penetration of sanitary napkins remains limited across most PVTGs.
About 59.86% PVTG women were found using clean reusable menstrual materials with soap and water, while 22.15% reled solely on water, increasing the risk of poor menstrual hygiene and reproductive tract infections. Better cleaning practices were observed among the Dongria Kandha and Lanjia Saora communities.
The study was taken up by Utkal University’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Studies On Tribal and Marginalized Communities with support from Department of Higher Education.