GROWTH STATUS OF HOMELESS NEPALI BOYS - DO THEY DIFFER FROM RURAL ANDURBAN CONTROLS

The rapid increase in numbers of homeless children in cities of the de veloped and developing world is a matter of grave concern. A multi-dis ciplinary study was undertaken to examine the health and lifestyles of the homeless in Nepal in comparison to other local children. Few stud ies have quantified the health of street-children in the developing wo rld using anthropometric indicators, and to our knowledge this is the first to systematically compare the homeless with appropriate controls from both rural and urban areas. Heights and weights were measured fo r 307 six to fourteen year-old boys(lll homeless, 62 squatter, 82 priv ileged school and 52 village boys). Height for age (HAz), weight for a ge (WAz) and weight for height (WHz) z-scores relative to reference da ta from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) were used as indicators of growth status. Stunting characterized all but the school -boys, but wasting was not observed. The homeless were less stunted th an either poor squatter or village boys. On arrival on the streets, th ey were taller than village boys, and duration of homelessness had no effect on their growth status. Thus in terms of physical growth, and d espite frequent health complaints, homeless boys in Nepal fare relativ ely better than control groups of poor urban and rural boys. Comparati ve studies which reveal some successful aspects of street-life show th at urban homelessness may represent an appropriate response to circums tances of poverty. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd