Body Mass Imi

REGIONAL IMBALANCE IN BODY MASS INDEX AND HEALTH STATUS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BY RELIGION AND CASTES IN MURSHIDABAD DISTRICT, WEST BENGAL
Dr. S. Waseem Ahmad Ashraf* & Dr. Sabbir Ahmed**
* Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh
** Senior Researcher, Department of Geography, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh
Abstract:
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a ratio of a person’s height and weight. It is a simple calculation of mass in kilograms (kg) divided by height in meters (m) squared (BMI= kg/ (m2). Those with low BMIs may be at risk for malnutrition, osteoporosis and/or an eating disorder. Those with high BMIs may be at risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer. BMI can be helpful

Health is most important in the way of development. The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” However, good health is also recognized as an end in itself, valued by those who own it. Unfortunately, evidence from across the world indicates that ill health disproportionately afflicts the poor, especially since the poor have little or no insurance against risks of ill health (World Bank 1993). Thus, while the probability of ill health is higher for the poor, so is the impact from ill health; this strengthens the nexus between poverty and poor health, each reinforcing the other. This also implies that health inequities would be stark between the developing and the developed countries. Many vital links between health and development are thus seen as interacting phenomena with far reaching implications. One such implication is the realization that the availability of health services is only one of many contributions to health development (UN, 1984). Medical history gives us many illustrations of the importance of health and disease in the rise and fall of nations and civilization (Quoted in Oliver, 1966). Health is considered as wealth of a community, which undoubtedly determines economic, social, cultural and political development of a region (Kothari and Jhala, 2007). Health is an essential input for the development of human resources and the quality of life and which in turn contributes in the social and economic development of the nation. Improved health is a part of total socio-economic development and is regarded as an index of social development. Provision of basic health care services to rural community is the primary objective of the government as well as non-governmental organizations in the context of rural development (Srinivasan, 2006). The