Pannalal Prasad Patel, Hui Wu, Mu Xin, Ravi Sahi.
Nutritional Status of Children under 14 Year’s in Terai Region of Nepal.
Pak Paed J Jan ;39(4):240-7.

Objective: To determine the current extent of protein energy malnutrition (PEM) and its main causes among children in the Terai region of Nepal. Design: Prospective data were taken from patients between the ages of 0 to 14 years who were admitted to the Nutritional Rehabilitation Home (NRH) of the Narayani Sub-Regional Hospital (NSRH) in Birgunj, Nepal from December 2006 to March 2014. Results: Of the 1166 children between the age of 6 months to 2 years, 649 (55.66%) were malnourished. Male children (623, 53.43%) were more at risk of malnutrition than female children (543, 46.56%). By weight for height, the children were distributed by standard deviation (SD) as follows: 84 (-1 SD), 587 (-2 SD), 312 (-3 SD) and 187 (-4 SD). Among the 1166 children, stunting (low height for age) was the most common manifestation of malnutrition (743, 63.72%) in the Terai region of Nepal, while being underweight (low weight for age) (339, 29.07%) and wasting (low weight for height) (84, 8.4%) were also found. Secondary infections such as tuberculosis (64, 5.48%) and human immune deficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) (10, 0.85%) were prevalent. Failure to thrive (25, 2.14%) was found more often than in normally nourished children. Conclusion: PEM is a major public health burden, most commonly resulting in stunting in children of the Terai region of Nepal. Tuberculosis is more prevalent in children with PEM than healthy ones in this region. Thus, strategic and budget policies should be focused on achieving a healthier and malnutrition-free society.

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