NUTRITIONAL-STATUS AND MORTALITY OF HIGHLAND CHILDREN IN NEPAL - IMPACT OF SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS

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.