Stunting among aged 6-59 months Children in Urlabari Municipality, Morang, Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: Stunting is a condition in which a child has a low height for their age as a result of inadequate nutrition over time, recurring illnesses, and a lack of social stimulation. Poor nutrition in a child's first 1000 days of life can cause stunted development, which is linked to poorer cognitive capacity, lower school performance, lower economic production, and a higher chance of nutrition-related chronic illness. This study aimed to assess stunting among aged 6-59 months of children in Urlabari Municipality, Morang, Province-1.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 338 respondents in Urlabari Municipality, Morang, Province-1 after the ethical clearance from Institutional Review Committee, Nobel College. Stunting was studied among 6 to 59 months children where the child's mothers were face-to-face interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. A convenient sampling technique was used for data collection. Informed consent was taken before the interview. Collected data were analyzed and interpreted using SPSS version 20.

Results: Out of 338 respondents, the prevalence of stunting was found to be 11.2% among 6-59 months of children with 0.9% being severely stunted.

Conclusions: According to this study more than half of the children were normal for Height-for-age which was good for their nutritional growth status. There was good practice in Antenatal Care (ANC) visits while there was a lack of knowledge and practice in Postnatal Care (PNC) visits. Furthermore, good practices in exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and environmental sanitation were also observed.