KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 01
Malnutrition has dropped remarkably in Nepal in the last 25 years, but there is a substantial gap in the proportion of this reduction between the poor and rich populations, recent evidence suggests.
According to an analysis from Family Health Survey and National Health and Demographic Survey 1996-2022, child stunting has reduced to 24.8 per cent in 2022 compared to 56.6 per cent in 1996. However, progress has not been uniform when the economic status of citizens is considered.
The percentage of child stunting was reduced by 19.7 per cent in the poorest wealth quintile compared to 67.1 per cent in the richest wealth quintile, according to an evidence summary (Insights) produced by HERD International based on secondary data analysis of the FHS/NDHS.
The poorest wealth quintile requires an average annual rate of 10.6 per cent reduction to reach the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals target on nutrition.
The survey revealed that one-quarter of children below the age of five experienced stunting, 8 per cent are affected by wasting, and 19 per cent are underweight. Similarly, 43 per cent of children aged 6-59 months and 34 per cent of women aged 15-49 years are anaemic.
In 2019, a UNICEF report had estimated that 850,000 children under five were underweight and over 300,000 were wasted and 1.8 million adolescent girls and boys were stunted.
According to the 2019 Burden of Disease study, 235,730 Disability Adjusted Life Years were due to child wasting and additional 28,280 DALYs were from child stunting in Nepal.
Besides, the most widespread form of malnutrition (undernutrition, including wasting, stunting and micronutrient deficiency) and the problem of overweight or obesity have been critically increasing.
According to Achyut Raj Pandey, a health researcher at HERD International and a collaborator in Global Burden of Disease Study, the findings of the study provide evidence for the existence of dual burden of malnutrition. Quoting data from Burden of Disease Study, Pandey said 9,145 deaths in 2019 were linked to obesity which indicated a six fold increase from 1,445 deaths in 1990.
"Overweight and obesity have been linked to multiple non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and kidney diseases," said Pandey. "The issues of undernutrition and overnutrition were traditionally handled separately, but they have similar underlying causes and there is need for coordinated and comprehensive approaches."
Similarly, dietary practices account for more than 19,000 deaths in Nepal. Low intake of whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, fibre rich foods, calcium and milk products and high intake of sodium, trans fat, red and high processed meat and sugar sweetened beverages/foods have been contributing to the dual burden of malnutrition in Nepal, according to the findings from NDHS in 2022.
Meanwhile, 48 per cent of children aged between 6 and 23 months and 56 per cent of women aged between 15 and 49 years consumed meals with minimum dietary diversity, and 69 per cent of children and 54 per cent women were found to consume unhealthy foods.
Furthermore, there is growing concern over climate change and its impact on food security, nutritional status and health.
The syndemic of undernutrition, obesity/overweight and climate change can have sweeping impacts on health and livelihood of people. So, the government should come up with policy interventions that serve triple-duty actions to change the trajectory of the syndemic.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 02, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.