Nutritional status and mortality of highland children in Nepal: Impact of sociocultural factors

Abstract

This study investigates the nutritional status of native children in the highlands of Nepal (1,700-3,000 m) and explores the relationship between child mortality and surviving children's nutritional status. A random sample of 145 households from 11 villages in the Koshi Hill Zone in east Nepal was surveyed, and the nutritional status of the 438 children < 14 years of age living in these households was assessed by means of anthropometry. We found a severe growth retardation in the Nepalese children compared to lowland reference groups as well as to highland children from the Andes. Child mortality and altitude are not significantly different between higher (Brahman and Chetri) and lower (Baisya and Sudra) caste households. A lower caste status and higher altitude of the household is associated with a significantly better nutritional status in offspring. In multiple regression analyses, improved nutritional status in children is significantly associated with lower caste (P = 0.001), higher altitude (P = 0.009), and less crowding (P = 0.001) but not with sibling mortality (P = 0.11). We thus conclude that nutritional status of children in households in the highlands of Nepal is associated with the household's socioeconomic status and altitude but not with mortality among siblings.

Altitude as a risk factor for congenital anomalies

“…Major differences in food availability and nutrition do not seem to be an issue in this study. High altitude peasants in the Andes [Frisancho and Baker, 1970;Beall et al, 1977] were found to be better nourished than similar groups in the Himalayans [Huijbers et al, 1996]. Likewise, Ballew and Haas [1986], studying lowland and highland populations in Bolivia, concluded that the low birth weight in high altitudes is not caused by undernutrition but to hypoxia.…”

Reconstructing relationships among mortality, status, and gender at the Medieval Gilbertine Priory of St. Andrew, Fishergate, York

“…Working from the basic assumption that people would, in general, rather live longer than shorter lives, it is appropriate to interpret variations in longevity among status groups as differences in the collective success of these groups to achieve the goal of long life. Since the reasons for these differences are complex, it is empirically useful to continue compiling evidence for these relationships by combining paleodemographic and archaeological analyses of individual sites from varying temporal, geographic, and sociocultural contexts (Alesan et al, 1999; Cook, 1981; Derevenski, 2000; Grauer, 1989, 1991, 1993; Knüsel et al, 1997; Mays, 1997, 1999; Powell, 1988, 1991; Robb et al, 2001; Rogers and Waldron, 2001; Šlaus, 2000; Stirland, 1997; Whittington, 1992) and by pursuing clinical, anthropological, and epidemiological projects that tackle similar issues (Bogin and MacVean, 1981; Crooks, 1995; Dobney and Goodman, 1991; Huijbers et al, 1996; Schell, 1997).…”

Bearing the Burden: Portage Labor as an Adaptive Response to Predictable Food Deficits in Eastern Nepal

“…The annual grain deficits, which range from 4.8 months in western Nepal to 2-3 months in eastern Nepal (Panter-Brick and Eggerman, 1997), have a direct impact on the level of nutrition because cereal grains provide 80-90% of the calories and most of the protein in the Nepali diet (Brown et al, 1968;Koppert, 1988;Panter-Brick, 1997). Widespread protein/energy malnutrition is reported for many regions of Nepal, with roughly 50-60% of the children showing evidence of chronic undernutrition (Brink et al, 1976;Huijbers et al, 1996;Martorell et al, 1984;UNICEF, 1992).…”