Seasonality of consumption of nonstaple nutritious foods among young children from Nepal's 3 agroecological zones

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Abstract

Background: Children's dietary patterns vary seasonally, particularly in subsistence agriculture settings like Nepal, but the seasonality of nutritious nonstaple food consumption is not well explored in the literature. Objective: This study aimed to examine seasonal differences in children's consumption of provitamin A-rich fruit and vegetables, dairy, eggs, meat, and fish in Nepal's 3 agroecological zones, and to assess whether seasonal patterns vary by wealth and caste/ethnicity. Methods: Multivariable negative binomial regression models were used to analyze dietary data from 7-d food-frequency questionnaires, producing coefficient estimates in the form of incidence rate ratios (IRRs). Data were collected 3 times per year for 2 y from children aged 6-72 mo in Nepal's mountains (n = 226), hills (n = 168), and plains (n = 225). Results: There were significant seasonal differences in children's consumption of provitamin A-rich fruit and vegetables, dairy, meat, and fish that varied by agroecological zone. Adopting monsoon season as the referent for all comparisons, children in the mountains ate provitamin A-rich fruit and vegetables less frequently during the postmonsoon and winter seasons (IRRs: 0.5 and 0.7, respectively; both P < 0.004), whereas in the plains, children's consumption of these foods was lower only during the postmonsoon season (IRR: 0.2; P < 0.001). Children's dairy intake frequency increased during the winter in the mountains (IRR: 0.7; P < 0.004) and decreased during the winter in the hills (IRR: 1.5; P < 0.001). Only in the plains did children's meat and fish intakes vary seasonally, increasing during the postmonsoon season (IRR: 1.6; P < 0.004). Wealth and caste/ethnicity variability influenced children's consumption of each of these nutritious groups of foods, and moderated seasonal effects in some instances. Conclusions: Children's diets varied differently by season within each agroecological zone of Nepal and in some cases across socioeconomic groups, revealing the importance of taking a season- and location-specific approach to assessing diets and tailoring dietary strategies.

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Broaddus-Shea, E. T., Thorne-Lyman, A. L., Manohar, S., Nonyane, B. A. S., Winch, P. J., & West, K. P. (2018). Seasonality of consumption of nonstaple nutritious foods among young children from Nepal’s 3 agroecological zones. Current Developments in Nutrition, 2(9). https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzy058

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