Nutrition in Nepal: Three decades of commitment to children and women

Abstract

South Asia has made significant progress in reducing child undernutrition. The prevalence of stunting declined by one third between 2000 and 2019; as a result, in 2019, there were 34 million fewer stunted children than in 2000, indicating that progress for child nutrition is possible and is happening at scale. However, no country in South Asia is on track for all nutrition targets of Sustainable Development Goal 2, and the region has the highest prevalence of stunting (33.2%) and wasting (14.8%) in the world. Nepal, the best performing country in the region, narrowly missed the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target to half the prevalence of child underweight between 1990 and 2015 and achieved the fastest recorded reduction in stunting prevalence in the world between 2001 and 2011. In 2019, UNICEF Nepal completed a series of papers to examine Nepal's progress on maternal and child nutrition during the MDG era. The series explores the trends, distribution and disparities in stunting, micronutrient deficiencies and feeding practices in children under 5 years and anaemia in adolescents and women. Besides, it reviews national micronutrient programmes (vitamin A supplementation, iron and folic acid supplementation and universal salt iodization) and Nepal's first Multi-Sector Nutrition Plan, to illuminate the success factors and enduring challenges in the policy and programme landscape for nutrition. This overview paper summarizes the evidence from these analyses and examines the implications for the direction of future advocacy, policy and programme actions to improve maternal and child nutrition in Nepal and other similar contexts.

Exploring the feasibility of integrating health, nutrition and stimulation interventions for children under three years in Nepal’s health system: a qualitative study

“…For instance, Nepal’s MSNP aims to improve nutrition through an intersectoral approach. While the MSNP has strengthened the nutrition system and increased investments in nutrition in Nepal [33], there is lower nutrition expertise and weaker implementation at the district level [34] and little ownership in any sector but health, limiting collaboration within districts [35, 36]. This means that intersectoral approach in Nepal would require strengthening administrative capabilities and political will at a provincial and local level.…”

“…In Kenya, CHWs were perceived to have a good knowledge of health, nutrition, and stimulation and as a reliable source of information [46]. Nepal’s FCHVs are respected and trusted by community members [36]. They are deployed to address the shortage of health workers [47] and have contributed to improving community health outcomes [48, 49].…”

“…Nepal's FCHVs are respected and trusted by community members [36]. They are deployed to address the shortage of health workers [47] and have contributed to improving community health outcomes [48,49].…”

Effect of an Integrated School Garden and Home Garden Intervention on Anemia Among School-Aged Children in Nepal: Evidence From a Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

“…30,31 Poor diets are one of the main drivers of anemia among (young) women and children in Nepal. 6 In the Kathmandu Valley, children under the age of 2 get a quarter of their calories from snack foods and beverages with low nutritional value, 32 while only 1.1% of Nepal's adult population consumes 400 g of fruit and vegetables a day-the amount recommended by the WHO. 33 The study was conducted in Sindhupalchok District, located between Kathmandu and the border with China.…”

“…First, we display the mean values of these outcomes for the overall sample in column (1) and by group in columns ( 2) and (3). Columns (4) to (6) show the coefficients of the treatment for each of these outcomes without controls, with the inclusion of the control variables, and with controls and inverse probability weighting, respectively.…”