MALAYSIAN JOURNAL OF NUTRITION Official publication of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia Since March 1995

2007, Volume 13 No. 2

ARTICLE 3

Comparison of Nutritional Status Between Tuberculosis Patients and Controls: a Study from North 24 Parganas District in West Bengal, India

Kaushik Bose, Sujata Jana, Samiran Bisai, Ashish Mukhopadhyay & Mithu Bhadra
Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore – 721 102, West Bengal, India

ABSTRACT
The nutritional status of tuberculosis patients (TBP) and controls (CT) was compared among adult (> 20 years) Bengalees in Shyamnagar, Barrackpore, Naihati and Jagaddal of North 24 Parganas District, West Bengal, India. The subjects included 310 men (154 TBP and 156 CT) and 246 women (128 TBP and 118 CT). The mean ages of TBP men was 36.4 years (CT = 34.5) and that of TBP women was 26.4 years (CT = 25.6). Variables compared included weight, height, fat mass, fat mass index, mid-upper arm fat area, and skinfolds. Results revealed that TBP had significantly lower means for all variables (except for height in men) compared to CT in both sexes. In men, the highest percent differences between the two groups were observed for fat mass (FM: 60.1%), fat mass index (FMI: 59.2%) and suprailiac skinfold (SUPSF: 58.8%). In women, the highest percent differences between the two groups were observed for SUPSF (59.7), mid-upper arm fat area (MUAFA: 58.1), triceps skinfold (TSF: 51.4), biceps skinfold (BSF: 51.2), FM (51.2) and FMI (49.0). Regression analyses confirmed that tuberculosis status had significant impact (p < 0.0001) on all anthropometric and body composition characteristics compared (except for height in men) in both sexes. Among men, tuberculosis status explained the highest percent variation in percent body fat (PBF: 57.2%), FMI (56.0%) and FM (55.6%). In women, tuberculosis status explained the highest amount of variation in PBF (67.9), TSF (63.5%), BSF (62.8), FMI (61.0) and FM(60.7). Results of contingency chi-square tests revealed that there were significant differences in the frequency of undernutrition between TBP and CT in men (χ2 = 73.13361) and women (χ2 = 59.0000). The frequencies of undernutrition were significantly more common among TBP, in both men (56.5%) as well as women (51.6%). This study provided evidence that there was significant differential amount of loss in fat and muscle measures in tuberculosis patients.

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