Ecological Regions Of Nepal Research Articles

Study of Phytosociological Parameters and Carbon Stock between Two Community Forest of Different Ecological Regions of Udaypur District of Nepal

This study compared the regeneration status, vegetation diversity, stand structure, and carbon stock of two community-managed forests located in different ecological regions of Nepal. A total of 61 concentric sample plots were investigated by using systematic random sampling with 1 % sampling intensity. The phytosociological parameters of trees and regeneration density were calculated using standard techniques. The aboveground tree carbon was estimated using a non-destructive method. Correlation analysis was performed to assess the variation of carbon stock with biomass, stand density, tree diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height, basal area, and seedling density. Janata community forest (CF) had higher regeneration than the Hazare CF, with a bell-shaped distribution of DBH in Janata CF and an interrupted curve in Hazare CF. Both forests were dominated by Shorea robusta. Hazare CF had higher Shannon diversity index, Simpson's index, and evenness index, while Janata CF had higher carbon stock. The observed differences in the studied parameters between the two community forests can be attributed to the difference in ecological factors such as temperature, rainfall, soil nutrient availability, and management practices. Future studies focusing on investigating the underlying factors driving the observed patterns and relationships, such as the effects of disturbance, climate, and management practices on forest structure and function are also needed. These findings have important implications for forest management and conservation policies, especially in the context of climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation.

Proactive Adaptation Responses by Vulnerable Communities to Climate Change Impacts

We explored the proactive responses of local communities against locally experienced climate change impacts and anticipated threats. This study interviewed 124 rural households from three community forestry user groups representing three ecological regions of Nepal using a semi-structured questionnaire. The study used eight criteria to distinguish the proactive nature of adaptation. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyze data, including the use of a chi-square (χ2) test to determine the proactive measures and their association with livelihood options and the ordered logistic regression model to explain determining factors of choosing proactive adaptations. The results indicate that 83.9% of households adapted both proactive and reactive measures, while 10.5% applied solely reactive adaptation and 5.6% were earmarked only for proactive adaptation measures. Over 50 different proactive adaptation measures were implemented by the households. The measures were significantly associated with agricultural diversification, cash crop cultivation, livestock raising, small-scale enterprise development, and disaster control. Socio-economic and spatial factors such as a household’s wellbeing, land holding size, geographical location, livelihood options, and the number of adaptation measures implemented by households were found to be decisive factors in choosing proactive adaptation. The study concludes that local people in Nepal are not only aware of escalating climate risks but also engage their cognition and knowledge proactively to adapt locally. The results suggest that even small proactive initiatives by households can offer multiple benefits against climate risks as an architect of individuals. Therefore, adopting a trans-disciplinary approach and nurturing local proactive actions in strategic connectivity between environmental, political, and societal functions is pivotal, which primarily takes a step to drive expediently successful climate change policy and strategy implementation. The findings of this study offer valuable insights into policy and strategy planning for the unsolicited consequences of climate change and highlight the importance of understanding the perspective of local communities in adaptation planning and implementation.

A Study of Climate Change and Meteorological Analysis in Different Ecological Regions of Nepal

Climate change is caused by the increase of greenhouse gas emissions and the associated vulnerability is affecting the whole earth system. The climatic vulnerability has three components; exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. The vulnerability is expressed in term of an index, ranging from 0-1. The inclusion of Climate Risk and Vulnerability (CRV) could be used for the analysis of potential impacts of climate change. CRV is a tool to adapt the climate change impacts in the areas all aspects of environment. Since, it is identified that one of the main component which is severely affected by the climate change is the Water source and water induced extreme events. It is known that when sensitivity is higher, the vulnerability tends to be high unless the adaptive capacity neutralizes the effects; wealth and social factors play a great role in enhancing adaptive capacity. Because of the uneven nature of the climatic factors, the effect of vulnerability also tends to be uneven. Adaptive capacity is an adjustment to reduce the adverse effects of climate change and enhance the benefits of it. The natural system takes its own course, but human intervention such as mitigations measures supports the natural process of adaptation. Nepal’s Contribution to Global GHG is minimum, however, the effect of climate change is severe such as increasing, landslide, GLOF, flood, and erosion; all affecting the life of the people. In spite of these, Nepal has not initiated any programs to address the issues, but upon the formulation of Climate Change Policy (2011), some actions were initiated to combat with Climate change hazards through the Ministry of Forest and Environment and related agencies of the government in collaboration with international agencies. Nepal has participated in the different series of COP and integrated provisions of UNFCCC in National Development Plan and in constitution of Nepal, and signed the provisions of UNFCCC in 1994 as a party to it, and prepared initial national communication in 2004 by which CDM implementation was made mandatory for cleaner Production.

Regional variation in knowledge and practice regarding common zoonoses among livestock farmers of selective districts in Nepal.

The majority of Nepalese people are involved in farming. However, due to limited knowledge of zoonoses and poor preventive practices on the part of livestock farmers, vulnerabilities to zoonotic diseases are very high. The main objective of this study was to assess the regional variation in zoonoses-related knowledge and preventive practices of livestock farmers in different ecological regions of Nepal. Descriptive cross-sectional quantitative research design was followed in the study. The total sample size was 380 livestock farmers from randomly selected three ecological regions of Nepal. Systematic sampling techniques were applied for data collection. Data were entered into an excel sheet and then imported into Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The data were calculated using descriptive statistics. Univariate, and bivariate analyses were performed, and the result of the study was presented in the form of text and tables based on their nature. Of the studied six zoonotic diseases, most of the respondents (95.8%) knew about zoonotic bird flu; 90.7% of them, were about rabies; and 54.2% knew about swine flu. However, a few respondents knew about bovine tuberculosis, neurocysticercosis, and brucellosis. Ecologically, the highest number of respondents in Nawalpur had knowledge of rabies (95.3%), and swine flu (61.6%), whereas 98.3% of them had knowledge of avian influenza in Tanahun; and 12.5% of neurocysticercosis in Manang. Regarding zoonoses preventive practices such as regular hand washing with soap water, mask-wearing, gloves, boots, the respondents' representation of 60.8%, 6.6%, 1.8%, and 1.3% respectively in such practices show that although these are easy and cost-effective, personal protective equipment (PPE), such preventive practices were extremely underperformed. Not only that, only 12% of respondents maintain a standard distance (>15m.) between their house and shed. Similarly, 17% still consumed meat from sick animals, and vaccination of livestock was also found poor coverage (36%) in the study. Livestock farmers need to be more knowledgeable about many common zoonotic diseases, and their preventive practices still need improvement, with significant regional variation in the study. This has invited various zoonosis threats for them. Therefore, it is recommended that the interventional programs related to common zoonoses be conducted for livestock farmers to solve the problem.

Assessment of Skin Carotenoid Measurement as a Means to Detect Vitamin A Deficiency in Children and Pregnant Women of Nepal

BackgroundVitamin A deficiency (VAD) is an ongoing public health concern among children and pregnant women in Nepal despite robust national efforts to screen and treat this vision- and life-threatening condition. ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate skin carotenoid scores measured using the Veggie Meter as a rapid, noninvasive screening tool for VAD in Nepali children and pregnant women. MethodsThis comparative cross-sectional study enrolled 164 pregnant women and 168 children (aged 8 to 12 y) from public hospitals in three distinct outlying ecological regions of Nepal (Terai, Hill, and Mountain). The primary outcome assessed whether skin carotenoid status could be a biomarker for VAD. We determined skin carotenoid scores using the Veggie Meter and compared them with serum retinol and total carotenoid concentrations assessed by HPLC. Correlation analysis was used to determine bivariate associations between serum retinol and total carotenoid concentrations, and the Veggie Meter assessed skin carotenoid status. Receiver operating characteristics curves were determined, and a P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. ResultsWe found that 8.5% of pregnant women and 13.0% of children in this study had severe VAD (serum retinol < 200 ng/mL). There were significant correlations between skin carotenoid scores with serum retinol and total carotenoid concentrations among pregnant women and children (r = 0.253–0.530, P ≤ 0.001). The Veggie Meter detected severe VAD with 57.1% sensitivity and 82.7% specificity in pregnant women and 61.9% sensitivity and 75.9% specificity in children. ConclusionsAlthough sensitivity and specificity were moderate for detecting VAD with the Veggie Meter, skin carotenoid assessment using this rapid, noninvasive portable device could still be valuable for high-risk VAD screening in Nepal and similar developing countries with limited access to laboratory measurement of serum vitamin A concentrations.

Effects of Climatic Factors on Diarrheal Diseases among Children below 5 Years of Age at National and Subnational Levels in Nepal: An Ecological Study.

Introduction: The incidence of diarrhea, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in low-income countries such as Nepal, is temperature-sensitive, suggesting it could be associated with climate change. With climate change fueled increases in the mean and variability of temperature and precipitation, the incidence of water and food-borne diseases are increasing, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This national-level ecological study was undertaken to provide evidence linking weather and climate with diarrhea incidence in Nepal. Method: We analyzed monthly diarrheal disease count and meteorological data from all districts, spanning 15 eco-development regions of Nepal. Meteorological data and monthly data on diarrheal disease were sourced, respectively, from the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology and Health Management Information System (HMIS) of the Government of Nepal for the period from 2002 to 2014. Time-series log-linear regression models assessed the relationship between maximum temperature, minimum temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, and diarrhea burden. Predictors with p-values < 0.25 were retained in the fitted models. Results: Overall, diarrheal disease incidence in Nepal significantly increased with 1 °C increase in mean temperature (4.4%; 95% CI: 3.95, 4.85) and 1 cm increase in rainfall (0.28%; 95% CI: 0.15, 0.41). Seasonal variation of diarrheal incidence was prominent at the national level (11.63% rise in diarrheal cases in summer (95% CI: 4.17, 19.61) and 14.5% decrease in spring (95% CI: −18.81, −10.02) compared to winter season). Moreover, the effects of temperature and rainfall were highest in the mountain region compared to other ecological regions of Nepal. Conclusion: Our study provides empirical evidence linking weather factors and diarrheal disease burden in Nepal. This evidence suggests that additional climate change could increase diarrheal disease incidence across the nation. Mountainous regions are more sensitive to climate variability and consequently the burden of diarrheal diseases. These findings can be utilized to allocate necessary resources and envision a weather-based early warning system for the prevention and control of diarrheal diseases in Nepal.

Do Local Perceptions of Climate Variability and Changes Correspond to Observed Climate Changes? A Comparative Study from Nepal as One of the Most Climate-Vulnerable Countries

Abstract This study explored people’s perceptions of climate change by conducting interviews and focus-group discussions with local residents of three ecological regions of Nepal, i.e., mountain, midhills, and lowland. Climatic measurements from meteorological stations of the regions were acquired for the period from 1988 to 2018. We compared the people’s perception with trends and variabilities of observed temperature and rainfall patterns. The results showed that, over the last three decades, temperature and precipitation trends and variability between regions varied, largely corroborating the local experiences. The temperature increased in mountain, midhills, and lowland by 0.061°, 0.063°, and 0.017°C yr−1, respectively. In contrast, rainfall decreased by −9.7, −3.6, and −0.04 mm yr−1 for the regions, respectively. Although the amount of rainfall decrease observed in the mountain was highest, its variability was found to be relatively low, and vice versa in lowland. Approximately 88% of interviewees perceived temperature rise, and 74% noticed rainfall decline. Local residents linked these changes with their livelihood activities, as exemplified by, for example, crop’s quality and quantity and birds’ migration. The results indicate that local understandings complement the scarce observational data and provide a reliable and additional foundation to determine changes in climatic variables. Moreover, the result infers that small changes in climate variables have noticeable implications on human behavior change. Therefore, besides active participation of local communities, integrating local understanding is crucial in developing climate change–related policies and strategies at local and national levels.

Prevalence and Causes of Visual Impairment and Blindness in Three Ecological Regions of Nepal.

Visual impairment and blindness are significant public health issues worldwide. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence and causes of moderate to severe visual impairment (MSVI) and blindness in people aged 15 years and above across three ecological regions of Nepal. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in one district in each of the three ecological regions of Nepal. Number of participants from each region was distributed as per the prevalence findings of pilot study, with 2815 participants enrolled in Dolakha, 1509 in Dhading and 910 in Sarlahi. Intensive training was provided to health workers on how to conduct door-to-door enumeration, visual acuity testing and referral when indicated for comprehensive ocular examination by technicians and ophthalmologists to diagnose and treat ocular morbidities. Collected data were analyzed using standard software. For categorical data, frequency, percentage and 95% CI were calculated and statistical tests were done using Chi-square/Fisher exact test. Altogether 5234 participants were enrolled in the study (participation rate 96.4%). The overall prevalence of MSVI was 9.5% (495). It was 4.7% (133) in the mountainous region, 11.2% (169) in the Hill and 21.2% (193) in the Tarai. In those aged 15-49 years, MSVI prevalence was 1.5% (52) and 25.1% (433) in ≥50 years. The overall prevalence of blindness was 0.9% (47). It was 0.2% (6) in 15-49 and 2.3% (41) in ≥50 age groups. More than 95% visual impairment and blindness were due to cataract and uncorrected refractive error. Cataract was the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness (290, 53.5%), followed by uncorrected refractive error. The prevalence of visual impairment and blindness varied significantly with age, ethnicity and locality. The management of uncorrected refractive error and operable cataract would reduce nine in ten cases of moderate to severe visual impairment and blindness.

Wind Farming Feasibility Assessment in 16 Locations of Nepal

The paper assesses the feasibility of wind farming at the 16 sites scattered in different ecological regions of Nepal. The wind speed, the hourly and seasonal variation of wind, the wind-rose, the wind turbulence rate, the wind power density, the Weibull probability distribution and the frequency of the wind speed above cut in speed were computed. The average wind speed at all the sites was found to be higher during the dry season from March to May. The wind speed of the modern turbine for power generation at eight sites was found to be above cut-in speed. However, the wind power density was found to be good only at the two sites and fairly good at the six sites. More than 50 % time of a year at these eight sites had over 3.5 m/s wind speed. However, the turbulence rate at all the studied sites was found to be above the acceptance range of 25 %. Among the study sites, Kagbeni, Thini, Jumla, Ramechhap, Vorleni, Patan west, Hansapur and Baddanda were found to be technically feasible sites for wind energy generation in Nepal.

Farmers’ understanding of climate change in Nepal Himalayas: important determinants and implications for developing adaptation strategies

Climate change affects the livelihood of farmers in a variety of ways. Farmers’ indigenous knowledge influences their perception of climate-related issues. A perception-based, semi-structured questionnaire survey of 530 households was performed to gather information about the awareness of, indicators for, and determinants of climate change. The survey covered three ecological regions of Nepal. The statistical analysis was done with a chi-square (χ2) test and a binary logistic regression (BLR) model to screen farmers’ perception of climate change. This study shows that socio-economic and agricultural characteristics of the farmers directly influence their perception of climate change. Farmers have identified climate change indicators in various forms, e.g., an increase in temperature (99.2% of those surveyed), a decrease in precipitation (98.9%), and an increase in climate-induced diseases and pests (96.8%) for agricultural crops. Observed precipitation (− 16.093 mm/year; p = 0.055) and temperature (0.0539 °C/year; p = 0.007) between 2000 and 2015 are both consistent with farmers’ perception. The selected independent variables are significantly correlated with the dependent variables, as confirmed by the BLR model, where χ2 = 83 with p = 0.002. The BLR shows there is a strong relationship between farmers’ perception of climate change and the group of descriptive variables, with a coefficient of determination of 85%. The biophysical characteristics and impact variables were the most important determinants. It is important that organizations and policymakers in Nepal develop adaptation strategies that improve the livelihoods of farmers. These strategies include introducing drought-tolerant crops, developing disease- and pest-tolerant seeds, constructing irrigation systems, and building hospitals.

Rural Household Energy Use and Thermal Environment in Three Climatic Regions of Nepal

Nepal is a mountainous country with low energy use so far and its climatic patterns remarkably differ from one place to another due to its geographical variation. In the north summer is cool and winter severe, while in the south summer is tropical and winter is mild. Indoor thermal environment and household energy use of residential buildings are in general very much associated so that there have been guide a lot of research; however, there has not been sufficient number of such studies focusing on Nepal. In this study, we aim to analyze the current situation of household energy use and indoor thermal environment of residential buildings in three different ecological regions of Nepal. This study was carried out in mountain, hill and terai regions representing cold, temperate and sub-tropical climate in Nepal from 21st December, 2017 to 20th January, 2018. Indoor and outdoor air temperature and humidity were measured by electronic sensors with the help of data logger for every 10-minute interval from 5 households from each region. The mass of firewood used was also measured at those houses. Household energy-use data of 516 houses were collected by the method of questionnaire survey. We found that mean indoor temperature was 3.6°C, 9.4°C and 19.0°C in cold, temperate and sub-tropical regions respectively. Based on this field study, we concluded that firewood is the primary source of household energy for cooking. The present finding suggests that an intensive and extensive improvements of the indoor thermal environment together with rationalization of energy use must be important especially for winter seasons.

ANALYZING THE EFFECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE (RAINFALL AND TEMPERATURE) ON VEGETATION COVER OF NEPAL USING TIME SERIES MODIS IMAGES

Abstract. Climate change and so its effect on terrestrial ecosystem has been a focus point for a while now. Among them, rainfall and temperature changes happen to exert a strong influence on the condition of vegetation cover. So, it is imperative to analyze the variation and inter-relationship between vegetation cover and climate pattern, especially country like Nepal having a dynamic ecosystem. This paper aims to analyze the spatial-temporal distribution of vegetation cover, temperature, and rainfall, and to examine the relationship of the latter two with vegetation for entire Nepal. Primary data used were vegetation and temperature data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and rainfall data from Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) data product. The relationship analysis was carried out in three phases; first, the trend of vegetation with respect to rainfall and land surface temperature (LST) was inspected over entire study area by creating a time series of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) monthly means for six months, averaged over the whole study period. However, vegetation change pattern across various ecological regions of Nepal also needed to be considered, for the three different regions are profoundly different from each other in a number of factors like altitude and soil type. Finally, the variation of vegetation with climatic parameters, i.e. rainfall and temperature, along the eleven-year study period was also portrayed, to depict how the vegetation cover has been fluctuating over the years. During the study period, the correlation coefficient between vegetation index and rainfall was the highest in October in Terai while that with temperature was in July in Hilly region. Overall, vegetation was influenced greater by the temperature than rainfall in all three ecological regions with the highest correlation coefficient of vegetation with temperature and rainfall, being −0.937 and 0.556 respectively.

Effect of meteorological factors on the seasonal prevalence of dengue vectors in upland hilly and lowland Terai regions of Nepal

BackgroundThe expansion of dengue vectors from lowland plains to the upland hilly regions of Nepal suggests the likelihood of increased risk of dengue. Our objective was to assess the effects of meteorological variables on vector indices and populations of dengue vectors in two different ecological regions of Nepal. An entomological survey was conducted in Kathmandu and Lalitpur (upland) and Chitwan (lowland) of Nepal in three different seasons from July 2015 to May 2016. The effect of meteorological variables on vector indices (house index, container index and Breteau index) and Aedes spp. population abundance was analyzed. A gamma regression was used to fit the models for vector indices and a negative binomial regression was used to model Aedes spp. population abundance.ResultsMonsoon season showed higher values for vector indices and vector populations compared to post-monsoon and pre-monsoon. Overall, the factor temperature-rainfall effect had a more significant influence on vector indices compared to relative humidity. The regression models showed that relative humidity has a greater impact in Chitwan than in Kathmandu. Variation was observed in the effect of predictor variables on Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus abundance.ConclusionsTemperature and rainfall contribute to the vector indices in the upland hilly region while relative humidity contributes in the lowland plains. Since vector prevalence is not only linked to meteorological factors, other factors such as water storage practices, waste disposal, sanitary conditions and vector control strategy should also be considered. We recommend strengthening and scaling up dengue vector surveillance and control programmes for monsoon season in both upland and lowland regions in Nepal.

Direct seeded rice cultivation method: a new technology for climate change and food security

Rice (Oryza sativa) is the major food crop in terms of production and economy and grown in all ecological regions of Nepal. Rice is cultivated traditionally through transplanting of 20-25 days old seedling in the country. Due to unavailability of suitable technology for rice cultivation, there is a huge yield gap in rice production of Nepal. Country has made target of self-sufficiency in rice production by 2020 AD. This target can be achieved through adoption of Direct seeded rice cultivation technology of rice cultivation which also helps to adapt in the climate change scenario of Nepal. Due to issues of water scarcity and expensive labour, direct seeded rice cultivation technology is adopting worldwide. Direct seeded rice is a resource conservation technology and reduces water and labor use by 50%. Productivity of DSR is 5-10% more than the yield of transplanted rice. It offers a very exhilarating opportunity to improve water and environmental sustainability. Methane gas emissions is lower in DSR than with conventionally tilled transplanted puddle rice. It involves sowing pre-germinated seeds into a puddled soil surface (wet seeding), standing water (water seeding) or dry seeding into a prepared seedbed (dry seeding). Precise water management, particularly during crop emergence phase (first 7-15 days after sowing), is crucial in direct seeded rice. Furthermore, weed infestation is the major problem, which can cause large yield losses in direct seeded rice. Weed management in DSR can be done through chemical, hand weeding or stale seed bed method.

A comparative study on carbon stock in Sal (Shorea robusta) forest in two different ecological regions of Nepal

Estimation of total biomass and carbon sequestration in any forest is crucial as it gives ecological and economic benefits through various environmental services. With an aim to quantify the carbon stock densities in the two different ecological regions–the Hills and the Terai, two Community Forests (CFs) having the dominance of Shorea robusta were selected from Gorkha (in the Hills) and Chitwan (in the Terai) districts for the purpose of the study. Systematic random sampling with 1% sampling intensity was used to collect necessary data. The total carbon stock in the CFs of the Hills and the Terai were found to be 234.54 t ha-1 and 479.29 t ha-1, respectively. The biomass carbon stock density in the CF of the Terai was found to be higher (384.20 t ha-1) than the one in the Hills (123.15 t ha-1). Carbon densities of different carbon pools such as tree; sapling; leaf litter, grass and herbs were significantly higher (P&lt;0.05) in the Terai than in the Hill forest whereas dead wood and stumps and the soil organic carbon density were found to be not significantly different in these regions. Similarly, the highest amount of soil organic carbon (SOC) was found in the uppermost soil horizon in the forests of both the regions. These results revealed that the biomass carbon stock density was higher in the Terai S. robusta forest than in the Hill S. robusta forest. However, the SOC obtained was in inverse relation to that of the biomass carbon stock in both the ecological regions. It would not be biased if different ecological regions with similar forest types are intervened with different management strategies for having more carbon stocks and for the conservation of biodiversity in the days to come.Banko JanakariA Journal of Forestry Information for NepalVol. 26, No. 1, Page: 24-31, 2016

Study of TV Programme in Disseminating Agricultural Information by Ecological Region of Nepal

A field survey was carried out in five different districts falls in three different ecological region of Nepal. Sixty households from each ecological region were randomly selected for the purpose of data collection with the help of structured questionnaire. The main purpose of the study was to study the TV programme in disseminating the agricultural information in three different ecological regions of Nepal. The finding of this study showed that 73.39% people watched the agriculture programme on TV and people watching the agricultural programme in TV are higher in hills (86.67%). Of the total farmers, higher percentage of the respondents in Terai and hilly region that is 72.1% and 71.7%, respectively, were found to adopt the technology that were broadcasted through Nepal Television. Majority of the respondents in all regions preferred to watch agricultural teleserial and were found to be satisfied with the types of agriculture-related information broadcasted in NTV. Respondents of hilly region (24.53%) were found to be highly satisfied in comparison to the respondents in Terai and mountain region.

Prevalence of congenital defects including selected neural tube defects in Nepal: results from a health survey.

BackgroundIn resource-limited nations like Nepal, congenital defects, including neural tube defects (NTDs), have great public health impact. NTDs and a few other congenital defects can be prevented by micronutrient supplementation. Without proper research regarding such defects, it is difficult to assess the damage made to health and productivity. This study aims to investigate different congenital defects among children in Nepal.MethodsHousehold surveys and health camps were conducted from 2011 to 2012. Physical examination of women of reproductive age (15 to 49 years) was done in selected Village Development Committees of nine districts in three ecological regions of Nepal. Congenital defects, including NTDs, were examined in children (age 0 to 5 years) who were alive at the time of the survey. Data entry and analysis was performed by using SPSS version 11.5.Results21,111 women were interviewed and 27,201 children born to them were assessed. The prevalence of congenital defects was 52.0 (95 % CI: 44.0–61.0) per 10,000 children. The prevalence of selected NTDs was 4.0 (95 % CI: 2.0–7.0) per 10,000 children. Among the neural tube defects, encephalocele, myelomeningocele and dermal sinus were the major ones, having almost the same prevalence in the Hill and Terai regions. The majority of children with genital abnormalities (17.0 per 10,000 children; 95 % CI: 10.0–28.0) and limb deformities (14.0 per 10,000 children; 95 % CI: 8.0–24.0) were found in the Terai. The rate of congenital birth defects was higher in the regions where women were in poor health.ConclusionThere is high prevalence of congenital defects in Nepal. Since such defects add a burden to families and society, it is imperative that health policies addressing programs like supplementation, fortification and dietary diversification be implemented.

Factors associated with childhood ocular morbidity and blindness in three ecological regions of Nepal: Nepal pediatric ocular disease study.

BackgroundNepal Pediatric Ocular Diseases Study is a three year longitudinal population based study. Here we present the baseline survey report which aims to investigate various risk factors associated with childhood ocular morbidity and blindness in three ecological regions of Nepal.MethodThis baseline survey is a population based cross sectional study. The investigation was conducted in a district from each of the following regions: Terai, Hill and Mountain. The Village Development Committees (VDCs) from each district were selected by random sampling. Three Community health workers were given training on vision screening and identification of abnormal ocular signs in children. They conducted a house to house survey in their respected districts examining the children and gathering a standardized set of data variables. Children with abnormal vision or ocular signs were then further examined by pediatric ophthalmologists.ResultsA total of 10950 children aged 0–10 years (5403 from Terai, 3204 from the hills, 2343 from the mountains) were enrolled in the study. However 681 (6.2%) were non responders. The male to female ratio was 1.03. The overall prevalence of ocular morbidity was 3.7% (95% CI of 3.4%-4%) and blindness was 0.07% (95% CI of 0.02%-0.12%). Ocular morbidity was more prevalent in the mountain region whereas blindness was more prevalent in the Terai region.Children from the Terai region were more likely to suffer from congenital ocular anomalies compared to the other regions. Children whose mother smoked, drank alcohol, or was illiterate were significantly afflicted with ocular diseases (p < 0.05). In addition,a higher prevalence of ocular disease was related to children with past medical history of systemic illnesses, abnormal postnatal period or missing childhood vaccinations. Blindness was more prevalent in children who suffered from a systemic illness. Females and under-nourished children were more likely to have ocular morbidity and blindness.ConclusionIt was found that childhood blindness was more prevalent in the Terai region, the undernourished, females and in those with co-morbid systemic illnesses. This study strongly suggests that prevention of childhood blindness requires additional resources to address these disparity.