SITUATION OF MALNUTRITION IN NEPAL
Demographic Health Survey, 2001 shows that 50.5 percent of below five children are
stunted, 48.3 percent are under weight and 9.6 percent are wasted. The prevalence of under
nutrition is higher in the rural areas than in the urban areas. Iron deficiency Anemia (IDA),
Vitamin A Deficiency, and Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) are major micronutrient problems
are major public health problem in Nepal.
CAUSES OF MALNUTRITION
Nepal Multiple Indicators Surveillance (NMIS) carried out a survey in1995 (NPC, 1996) and
the Family Health Survey conducted in 1996 (MoH, 1997) revealed that the problem of
malnutrition still exists throughout Nepal. The extent, causes, and consequences of poor
nutritional are now clearly understood, and so are the ways to prevent and manage it. Low
food intake and infections are immediate causes of malnutrition. Addressing nutritional
needs offers a primary rationale for the preservation of traditional knowledge and life styles,
the conservation of wild and cultivated resources, and the sustainable use of the
environments in where they are lived.
Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) is a common nutrition problem which occurs if children do
not eat enough to supply their energy and nutrient needs. Infants and preschoolers are the
groups most vulnerable to malnutrition. Pregnant and lactating women are the next most
vulnerable group, together with elderly people and those who are just recovering from
illness.
MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES
Human body needs only small amounts of vitamins and minerals. These nutrients must be
obtained from foods, since the human body cannot develop them itself. A lack of sufficient
micronutrients in the diet will result in deficiency diseases, which may even endanger
people's lives. Most children with micronutrient deficiencies usually also lack energy and
protein.
Vitamin A deficiency is one of the most important nutritional diseases among young children.
It causes night-blindness, in more serious cases, may damage the eyes, cause blindness
and increase the risk of infection and death. The best way of preventing vitamin A deficiency
is to encourage families to grow and eat plenty of foods that are rich in vitamin A. These
include plant foods such as green leafy vegetables, mangoes and papayas; among animal
foods, liver is an especially rich source of vitamin A. Breast milk is the only source of vitamin
A for infants, and lactating mothers should therefore eat plenty of foods rich in vitamin A as
well.
Anemia is the most widespread nutritional disorder with the commonest cause of nutritional
anemia is iron deficiency or a lack of iron in the diet. Other causes of anemia are parasitic
infections, such as hookworm, and the loss of blood during menstruation and childbirth. Iron
is an important mineral, which is needed to form red blood cells and transport oxygen in the
blood. Nutritional anemia can be prevented by ensuring that women and children eat enough
iron containing foods, i.e. small amounts of liver, meat and fish, and more foods containing
vitamin C so as to increase iron absorption, such as citrus, guava and some green
vegetables. Iodine deficiency is caused by a lack of iodine in food and in the soils on which
food is grown. Sea food is a good source of iodine, thus iodine deficiency is often found in
mountainous areas with leached soils and where sea fish is scarce. The thyroid gland at the
front of the neck stores and needs iodine for hormone production but, if there is insufficient
iodine in the diet, the gland stops producing thyroid hormones and signs of deficiency
appear, called iodine deficiency disorders (IDD). Iodine deficiency disorders include goiter,