Title : Infant and young child feeding practices associated with nutritional status of under-5 years of children of Dolpa District, Nepal
Abstract:
Background: Adequate nutrition in infancy and early childhood is critical to ensuring optimal growth, immunity, cognitive development, and long-term health. Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) is commonly regarded as one of the most cost-effective strategies for improving child health outcomes. Inadequate nutrition or poor feeding practices during the first two years of life can have long-term consequences for physical and cognitive development. Globally, children under the age of five continue to be vulnerable to malnutrition, a problem that disproportionately affects low-income countries. In such situations, anthropometric measures such as height-for-age (stunting), weight-for-height (wasting), and weight-for-age (underweight) are commonly used to assess nutritional status and identify at-risk groups.
Objective: This study aimed to assess infant and young child feeding practices and nutritional status among under-five children in Dolpa District of Nepal
Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study of under-five children was carried out utilizing primary data. A semi-structured questionnaire was utilised to collect demographic information and newborn and young child feeding patterns, while conventional techniques were employed to get anthropometric measures. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data, and Chi-square tests were used to determine the relationships between nutritional outcomes and selected factors. Ethical issues, such as confidentiality and informed consent, were maintained throughout the research process.
Results: Findings demonstrated a worrying prevalence of chronic undernutrition. Stunting affected 63.3% of children, while 22.1% were wasted, and 14.1% were malnourished overall. Nearly three-quarters (70.4%) of mothers were illiterate, highlighting a major social determinant of health. Encouragingly, 93.5% of respondents practiced exclusive breastfeeding. However, stunting was significantly associated with maternal education, suggesting that knowledge and literacy play a central role in child feeding and nutrition. Wasting was associated with religion and household number of under-five children; implying household size and cultural practices influence nutritional vulnerability. Malnutrition was associated with exclusive breastfeeding and bottle feeding, pointing to gaps in appropriate feeding practices, timing of complementary foods, and possible poor hygienic conditions.
Conclusion: The study uncovers a serious public health concern: an abnormally high frequency of stunting (63.3%) among under-five children in Dolpa District, which exceeds national averages. These findings highlight the importance of focused interventions targeting maternal education, culturally responsive nutrition programs, household food security, and enhanced complementary feeding habits. Strengthening primary health care delivery, integrating community health workers, and empowering women through literacy and awareness programs may all help to break the cycle of undernutrition. Addressing these variables is critical not only for lowering morbidity and mortality, but also for ensuring that every kid in this rural community realizes their full developmental potential.
