Malnutrition matters: Association of stunting and underweight with early childhood development indicators in Nepal

Abstract

Malnutrition is a threat to optimal child development, with its occurrence during foetal and infancy stages associated with poor cognitive, motor and socio-emotional skills. However, information on the effects of various types of malnutrition on early childhood development (ECD) is limited in Nepal. To assess the association of stunting, wasting and underweight (three prominent forms of malnutrition) with the four domains of the ECD index (literacy-numeracy, physical, social-emotional and learning development) among children 36-59 months of age, we conducted an adjusted logistic regression using Nepal's national household Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019 data set. The study sample consisted of children aged 36-59 months (n = 2871). Children were considered developmentally on track if they met criteria in each of the four ECD domains. Regarding ECD status of children 36-59 months old, 35% of children were not developmentally on track for the ECD index. The adjusted odds ratio indicated that stunting was associated with lower odds of not being developmentally on track according to the ECD index as well as the literacy-numeracy, physical and learning domains of the ECD index. Likewise, underweight was associated with lower odds of not being developmentally on track according to the ECD index, primarily for ECD domains of literacy-numeracy, physical and learning. Notably, no association between wasting and ECD indicators was observed. Children's nutrition status impacts child development outcomes. Adding ECD interventions, such as responsive and stimulating caregiving, within nutrition programmes among children who are stunted and underweight could improve child development outcomes.

Socioeconomic and education-based inequality in suspected developmental delays among Nepalese children: a subnational level assessment

“…Our study identified being stunted, along with household SES and mother's education, as a significant risk factor for SDD among children, which is also supported by previous studies 7,21,[49][50][51][52] . A recent study mentioned that around 10% of the prevalence of suspected delay in cognitive domain could be eliminated by eliminating stunting in LMICs, highlighting the need for reducing stunting prevalence in relation to child development 53 .…”

“…In addition, a recent study reported delayed gross motor development among girls aged 3 years who underwent delayed cord clamping 20 . Yet, to our knowledge, studies identifying potential risk factors of SDD among younger Nepalese children using wide range of covariates are limited [18][19][20][21] .…”

Effects of Disability on Early Childhood Development in 3 to 4-Year-Old Children in South Asian Countries: Evidence from Multiple Indicators Cluster Surveys

“…Socioeconomic factors, such as family income and access to resources, in uence the availability of educational and health opportunities; the number of children ever born is also found to be associated with ECD [3,7]. Moreover, the linkage between child malnutrition and ECD is well-established, with malnourished children usually reported to have suboptimal ECD or vice versa [10][11][12][13]. Furthermore, the broader community context, including cultural norms and societal support systems, contributes signi cantly to a child's developmental trajectory [7].…”

Implementation of the Tsukamoto Fuzzy Method for Infant Food Recommendations According to the Needs and Akg

“…Malnutrition is the cause of 45% of deaths in children under 5 years of age worldwide [5]. Not only in Indonesia, stunting or malnutrition is a problem that has been widely studied around the world, such as in research in Nepal [6], Serbia [7], Pakistan [8], and other countries.. The quality of the population in the future is influenced by the quality of the current growth of the baby.…”

“…Nutrition plays an important role in the development of children aged 0-59 months [8]. Malnutrition or mistakes in choosing food menus for babies cause malnutrition or stunting problems [6]. In the short term, this can cause brain, intelligence, physical growth, and metabolism disorders in children.…”