Preschool Child Nutritional Status in Nepal in 2016: A National Profile and 40-Year Comparative Trend

Abstract

Background: Preschool child anthropometric status has been assessed nationally in Nepal since 1975, with semi-decadal surveys since 1996, plus several recent, short-interval surveys to track progress toward achieving a World Health Assembly (WHA) goal to reduce stunting to 24% by 2025. Objective: We report prevalence of preschool child stunting and wasting from a national survey in 2016 and place findings into the context of national trends and alignment for Nepal to attain its WHA 2025 goal. Methods: A representative, midyear Policy and Science for Health, Agriculture and Nutrition (PoSHAN) survey was conducted in 2016 on 5479 children <60 months in 4051 households in 21 village development committees. Child weight and height were measured, and sociodemographic factors were assessed. Data from previous surveys (Nepal Demographic Health Surveys, PoSHAN) were also acquired, and rates of stunting (