• Gaurav Raj Dwivedi, Rajni Kant, Ayush Mishra, Manoj Kumar, Atul Kumar Singhal, and Sandeep Pathak.
• Tribal Study Group, Indian Council of Medical Research-Regional Medical Research Centre, Gorakhpur, Office of the Chief Medical Officer, Uttar Pradesh, India.
• Indian J Med Res. 2022 Aug 1; 156 (2): 186190186-190.

Background & ObjectivesThe tribal population in India is considered as one of the vulnerable groups with respect to their achievements in health and other developmental issues. In this context, this mapping review attempted to understand the health profile of the Tharu tribal community residing in the northern State of Uttar Pradesh, India through literature mining. Tharu tribe is one of the indigenous groups living in the Terai plain on the Indo-Nepal border. In 1967, this tribe was documented as a Scheduled Tribe by the Government of India. The present review aimed to map the health-seeking behaviour of the Tharu population and review other factors pertaining to their health such as socioeconomic, developmental, employment, education, etc.MethodsOnline data search was carried out on PubMed and Google Scholar using search terms 'Tharu' AND 'India'. In addition, official reports avaibale in public domain and grey literature was also searched.ResultsTwenty seven studies including reviews, articles, books/book chapters were evaluated along with 13 reports (including reports from government organizations and grey literature) were retrieved and analyzed. Of the 27 published reports, 16 were found relevant to Tharu tribe in India. A total of 29 (16 articles + 13 reports ) were included in this review.Interpretation & ConclusionsThis mapping review highights the health seeking behaviour of the Tharu tribe in India that can help inform future interventions to improve the health status of the Tharu tribe as well as other aspects of their development.

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