The DHS Program

Deeper Analysis to Deconstruct the Contributors to Significant Improvement in Key Nutrition Outcomes, 2016-2022 Nepal DHS Surveys (English) 

Document Type

Further Analysis

Publication Topic(s)

Anemia, Nutrition

Country(s)

Nepal

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Adhikari, R. P., G. M. Hinnouho, D. P. Adhikari, and L. B. Thapa. 2024. Deeper Analysis to Deconstruct the Contributors to Significant Improvements in Key Nutrition Outcomes, 2016–2022 Nepal DHS Surveys. DHS Further Analysis Reports No. 150. Rockville, Maryland, USA: ICF.

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Publication Date

September 2024

Publication ID

FA150

Abstract:

Despite the remarkable improvements in some key child and maternal nutrition outcomes at the national level, large disparities by region, residence, and other background characteristics remain. For example, the prevalence of stunting among children in the poorest households is nearly triple that of those in the wealthiest households (36.9% versus 13.1%), and the prevalence in Karnali province is double that in Bagmati province (35.8% versus 17.6%). Further, improvements have not occurred evenly across regions of the country. Koshi, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim provinces all saw large declines in child stunting, underweight, and wasting between 2016 and 202,2 whereas Bagmati and Gandaki provinces experienced more modest declines or even slight increases in some indicators. Lumbini province presents an even greater puzzle, as the prevalence of child wasting (low weight for height) more than doubled from 7.6% in 2016 to 16.2% in 2022, without any corresponding increases in the prevalences of other indicators such as child stunting, underweight, or anemia that often co-exist with wasting since they have common contributors. In fact, all these indicators except wasting improved from 2016 to 2022 in Lumbini province. The steep increase in child wasting in Lumbini province contributed substantially to the weak progress in child wasting, nationally. We used descriptive analysis to examine trends in socioeconomic, child-intrinsic and nutritional, maternal, health, and environment factors and in any and severe levels of each of the nutrition outcomes from 2016 to 2022, nationally and by province.