ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Malnutrition, especially under nutrition puts children at increased risk of morbidity and mortality and remains a serious barrier in child growth, development and survival. This is a major public health problem among under- 5 children in Nepal particularly in rural areas. OBJECTIVE: To assess the burden and contributing factors for malnutrition in hill community of Ilam district in eastern Nepal. METHOD: A cross sectional study was conducted in rural hill communities of Ilam district, Nepal with a sample of 240 under- 5 children. Anthropometric measurements were used as per WHO guidelines to asses three nutritional status: Underweight, Stunting, and Wasting using descriptive statistics and chi square test was applied using SPSS 12.0 to assess social and predisposing factors. RESULT: Seventeen percent of under- 5 children were moderately and 10.4 % were severely underweight. Similarly, 22.9%, and 17.5% were found to be moderately and severely stunted respectively. Less than 10% were found to be moderately and severely wasted. Older age group of children, education level of mother, not exclusive breast feeding practice had significant (p <0.05) effect on stunting. More than 50% children were affected with stunting, underweight and wasting at the same time. CONCLUSION: Significant proportion of under - 5 children were malnourished in the communities of the hilly areas. The study unveiled the importance of literacy and exclusive breast feeding for the prevention of malnutrition in under- 5 children.
Subject(s)
Child Nutrition Disorders/epidemiology , Growth Disorders/epidemiology , Malnutrition/epidemiology , Nutritional Status , Rural Population/statistics & numerical data , Child Nutrition Disorders/diagnosis , Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena , Child, Preschool , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Growth Disorders/diagnosis , Humans , Male , Malnutrition/diagnosis , Nepal/epidemiology , Prevalence , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Gender equality has been a priority area of demographic research. One of the major reasons for high fertility and low acceptance of family planning is the prevalence of gender preference among couples. The objectives of this study were to identify the determinants and examine the extent of gender preference on fertility. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study carried from June 2008 to July 2009 in Duhavi VDC of Sunsari district of Nepal. Three hundred and five randomly selected ever-married women of 15 - 49 years, who had at least one child were the subjects of the study. A questionnaire covering the areas on gender and fertility preference and methods and use of contraception was given and filled up. RESULTS: The study showed that 42.6% of the ever-married women belonged to the 25 - 29 years age group. Around 92% of women whose last child was a male were using family planning methods whereas only 40% of women whose last child was a female were using family planning methods. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The contraception use among the women having a female child was low, showing a desire for a male child which is one of the factors in the increase of family size in our society. Due to the patrilineal society, women are discouraged in the practice of contraception. Effective intervention programs need to be planned and conducted to rectify this situation.
