Abstract
Introduction: Childhood malnutrition is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children under five years in Nepal. There is evidence to show that childhood malnutrition varies from region to region, within Nepal. But there is no data available about nutritional status of children in the 75 districts in Nepal. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional status of children less than five years of age in Ilam district. Material and Methods: We analysed the anthropometric data for the children of Ilam district who visited Dr. Megh Bahadur Parajuli Community Hospital in Ilam district. Results: Our data showed that 15.7% of girls and 21.2% of boys under-five years suffered from moderate malnutrition. Severe malnutrition was present in 6.7% of girls and 9.6% of boys. Stunting was seen in 32.6% girls and 30.16% boys. Moderate stunting was present in 19.6% of girls and 19% of boys; while severe stunting was present in 11% of the boys and 13% of the girls. Conclusion: Our data shows that stunting among under-fives in Ilam is less as compared to that reported for Nepal, but underweight is comparable to the national data. However, a systematic study needs to be carried out in Ilam before drawing firm conclusions. J Nepal Paediatr Soc 2014;34(3):207-215-220 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jnps.v34i3.10737
Highlights
IntroductionThe aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional status of children less than five years of age in Ilam district
Childhood malnutrition is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children under five years in Nepal
A total of 19% of boys and 19.6% of girls suffered from moderate stun ng; and 11% of boys and 13% of girls suffered from severe stun ng
Summary
The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional status of children less than five years of age in Ilam district. Results: Our data showed that 15.7% of girls and 21.2% of boys under-five years suffered from moderate malnutrition. Several factors were noted to contribute towards malnutri on- for example, socio-economic factors, mother’s literacy, acute illnesses, age of the child[2]. World Health Organisa on (WHO) data from 2011 report the prevalence of moderate and severe malnutri on to be 29.8% and 8.5% respec vely, among boys under five in Nepal. These figures were 28.4 and 7.7 respec vely for girls in the same age group. Moderate and severe stun ng among Nepali boys who are under five were reported to be 41.3% and 16.8% respec vely, and that among girls were 39.5% and 15.8% respec vely[7]
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