Dietary habits, food consumption and nutrient intake among the Sugali, a tribal population of Andhra Pradesh, India.

In this study an attempt has been made to know the food consumption and dietary intake of Sugalis, the largest tribal population of Andhra Pradesh, India. The sample consisted of 492 males and 474 females (drawn from 200 families) in the age group of 1-60 years. The 24-h recall diet survey revealed that the mean consumption of different foodstuffs by different age groups compared to the RDA was grossly inadequate. During preschool ages, Sugali boys and girls showed larger deficiencies in their nutrient intakes. Inadequacy in protein and calories (P-C) is high both among males (47.0%) and females (41.6%). Caloric deficiency (C-) is higher in Sugali males (66.9%) and females (59.3%) than is protein deficiency (P-), which is 48.2% in males and 43.5% in females.