Body mass index of farm women in rural India: an analysis through score of socio-economic and agro-ecological correlates

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a commonly used anthropometric measurement to estimate the level of nutritional indices (underweight/overweight) of adolescents and adults. Factors affecting BMI is essential for developing intervention programs. The present study was thus undertaken with the objective to assess the agro-socio-economic factors related to body mass index (BMI) content of farm women, of West Bengal, India. The study was confined to the women of age group of 19-60 years. A total of 211 women were selected randomly. BMI (weight/height2, kg/m2) was measured by taking height & weight of the participants. This present paper examines the socio-economic and agro-ecological predictors to a score of 26 exogenous variables which are correlated with the body mass index (BMI) of farm women. Multivariate analysis was carried out to understand the complex nature of variable interaction. It shows Irrigation index(X9) & Animal entrepreneurial index(X14) have a great contribution to the body mass index (BMI) of farm women.