Assessment of Nutritional Status and Associated Factors among Tharu Students of Primary School in Kanchanpur District, Nepal

Abstract

Introduction The state of one's nutrition is a key indicator of one's overall health. School age is the most active period of a child's development. One of the key causes of higher child mortality rates in developing nations is malnutrition during childhood. Chronic malnutrition in children has been linked to delayed cognitive development and major health problems later in life, lowering people's quality of life. The Tharu community is believed to be socially and economically disadvantaged. As a result, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the nutritional status and characteristics related to it among primary school aged children from the Tharu population in Kanchanpur. Methods A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 365 students of the Tharu community studying at the primary level in government school in Kanchanpur district. Structured questionnaire and anthropometric measurement were used to measure height and weight of the children and generate required information. Convenience sampling was done for the selection of the schools, and random sampling was done for data collection among students. Data entry was performed in EPI-data, and ENA and SPSS (version 16.0) were used to convert height and weight measures into z-scores, factors associated with nutritional status, respectively. A chi-square test was applied for associations between the variables as per the research objectives. Results Moderate and severe stunting were found in 25.2 percent and 20.3 percent of the population, respectively, while severe underweight was found in 6.9 percent of the population, but moderate underweight was found in 36.8 percent. In terms of BMI for age, 29.6 percent of people were underweight. There was an association between the mother's educational status and stunting, as well as family type and children's BMI. Conclusion Malnutrition is a severe concern in the Tharu community, according to this study. Tharu community elementary school pupils' dietary standards were found to be deficient. Because no previous research has been done in Nepal on this issue in the Tharu community, this study will serve as a starting point for future research in similar conditions. This will also assist concerned authorities in reducing undernutrition.