Pmjf. Huijbers et al., NUTRITIONAL-STATUS AND MORTALITY OF HIGHLAND CHILDREN IN NEPAL - IMPACT OF SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS, American journal of physical anthropology, 101(2), 1996, pp. 137-144
This study investigates the nutritional status of native children in t
he highlands of Nepal (1,700-3,000 m) and explores the relationship be
tween child mortality and surviving children's nutritional status. A r
andom sample of 145 households from 11 villages in the Koshi Hill Zone
in east Nepal was surveyed, and the nutritional status of the 438 chi
ldren <14 years of age living in these households was assessed by mean
s of anthropometry. We found a severe growth retardation in the Nepale
se children compared to lowland reference groups as well as to highlan
d children from the Andes. Child mortality and altitude are not signif
icantly different between higher (Brahman and Chetri) and lower (Baisy
a and Sudra) caste households. A lower caste status and higher altitud
e of the household is associated with a significantly better nutrition
al status in offspring. In multiple regression analyses, improved nutr
itional status in children is significantly associated with lower cast
e (P = 0.001), higher altitude (P = 0.009), and less crowding (P = 0.0
01) but not with sibling mortality (P = 0.11). We thus conclude that n
utritional status of children in households in the highlands of Nepal
is associated with the household's socioeconomic status and altitude b
ut not with mortality among siblings. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.