Parental international migration is not associated with improved health care seeking for common childhood illnesses and nutritional status of young children left-behind in Nepal

Abstract

ObjectiveTo examine the impact of parental international migration on health care seeking for common childhood illnesses (diarrhoea, fever, and acute respiratory infections) and nutritional status (stunting, underweight and wasting) in young children in Nepal using the most recent nationally representative Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. Study designNationally representative cross-sectional survey. MethodsWe used multiple logistic regression models to examine the association between parental international migration and the study outcomes adjusting for a range of potential confounders. ResultsOf 5310 children, 23.5% had at least one parent living abroad. Health care for common childhood illnesses was sought for 52.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 45.0%–59.2%) and 47.0% (95% CI: 42.7%–51.1%) of children from migrant and non-migrant families, respectively. The prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting among left-behind children were 35.3% (95% CI: 31.5%–39.1%), 28.3% (95% CI: 24.2%–32.2%) and 11.8% (95% CI: 8.8%–14.7%), respectively. In adjusted analyses, there were no statistically significant differences in health care seeking or nutritional status by parent's migration status. ConclusionsDespite large economic benefits to Nepal due to international labour migration, we did not observe any apparent differences in young left-behind children in terms of seeking health care for common childhood illnesses or prevalence of under-nutrition. Longitudinal studies are needed to accurately measure whether migration has any substantial temporal effect on the nutritional status of young children or seeking for health care.