Seasonality of Consumption of Nonstaple Nutritious Foods among Young Children from Nepal’s 3 Agroecological Zones

Abstract

BackgroundChildren'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.ObjectiveThis 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.MethodsMultivariable 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).ResultsThere 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.ConclusionsChildren'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.

Small-Scale Livestock Production in Nepal Is Directly Associated with Children’s Increased Intakes of Eggs and Dairy, But Not Meat

“…Our findings also reflect differences in children's ASF intake by caste/ethnicity in the cases of eggs and dairy, and also, by region and season in the case of dairy. These findings are expected and concur with the previous literature on dietary variation in Nepal [36][37][38].…”

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Variety, Price, and Consumer Desirability of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in 7 Cities around the World

“…This study was also limited by the fact that data were collected within a single 3-mo window spanning December to February. Previous research on the seasonality of F&Vs in LMICs has largely been limited to rural areas, with intake of F&Vs tending to be higher during rainy/monsoon season compared with the dry/postmonsoon or winter season (19, 20), though not in all studies (21). Two recent studies in Shanghai, China, found that intake of F&Vs was highest in the summer, with particularly striking differences for fruits (22, 23).…”