Determinants of Nutritional Status among Mothers and their Children of Age 6–59 Months

Abstract

Objectives: The main aim is to study the determinants of nutritional status among mothers and their children aged 6–59 months in Nepal’s Panauti municipality. Material and Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted among 226 mothers and their children 6–59 months residing in ward no. 1, 2, and 4 of Panauti Municipality. A combination of a semi-structured questionnaire and anthropometric measurements was used to assess various determinants of nutritional status. A Chi-square test was used to check the association between variables. Results: The study found that the prevalence of maternal underweight was low (2.7%) whereas the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 36.7% and 13.7%, respectively. Around 27.9% of the children were severely stunted, 3.6% underweight, and 3.5% wasted, whereas 22.1% of the children were overweight. About 54% of the mothers and 57.52% of the children were malnourished. Ethnicity was significantly associated with mothers’ nutritional status and factors such as ethnicity, pre-lacteal feeding, and cultural practices of the mother were significantly associated with the nutritional status of children. Conclusion: The study concluded that more than half of the mothers and children were malnourished. Demographic factors-like ethnicity were significantly associated with the nutritional status of mothers and children, whereas factors like pre-lacteal feeding and cultural practices of the mother were significantly associated with the nutritional status of the children.