Nutritional Status in 6-59 months Children and its Association with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Practice in Panchapuri Municipality, Surkhet, Karnali Province, Nepal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70280/njph(2025)v2i1.24Keywords:
Hygiene, Nutrition, Sanitation, WASHAbstract
Background: Childhood malnutrition is a critical public health concern in Nepal. The Karnali province is reported to have poor water, sanitation, and hygiene behavior. This study aimed to examine the association between safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practice and nutritional status of children of Panchapuri municipality Surkhet, Karnali Province, Nepal.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was conducted among 6 to 59-month-old children in Panchapuri municipality Surkhet, Karnali Province, Nepal from July15,2020. to 1st August,2020 This study included168 households selected by using cluster random sampling and respondents were selected by using simple random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire from the parents, and observation checklist. The weights and heights of children were taken using a Seca digital weighing scale and a wooden height board respectively. Anthropometric analysis was done using WHO Anthro version 3.2.2 software and other statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 25 software.
Results: Among 168 children the prevalence of wasting, stunting, and underweight is 4.8%, 12.5%, and 6% respectively. Most of the households (81.5%) had safe sources of drinking water whereas 18.5% of households were found to use unsafe sources of drinking water. The majority of households (62.5%) didn't use any methods of water purification before drinking or using the water for cooking purposes. All the households (100%) had toilets but 90% of households used improved types of toilets. Solid waste from about 80% of households was managed by burning whereas 6.5% of households threw the waste in an open place. Half of the total households managed the liquid waste in kitchen gardens whereas about 39% of households drained the liquid waste in rivers and streams and only about 11% of households drained wastewater in open places.
Conclusion: Findings from this study finds out the importance of good WASH practices, and the potential of WASH interventions, to contribute to the better improvement in the nutritional status of the children living in Panchapuri municipality Surkhet.
References
1. Black RE, Allen LH, Bhutta ZA, Caulfield LE, de Onis M, Ezzati M, et al. Maternal and child undernutrition: global and regional exposures and health consequences. Lancet . 2008 Jan;371(9608):243–60.
2. Black RE, Victora CG, Walker SP, Bhutta ZA, Christian P, de Onis M, et al. Maternal and child undernutrition and overweight in low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet . 2013 Aug;382(9890):427–51.
3. Victora CG, Adair L, Fall C, Hallal PC, Martorell R, Richter L, et al. Maternal and child undernutrition: consequences for adult health and human capital. Lancet . 2008 Jan;371(9609):340–57.
4. WHO. Improving nutrition outcomes with better water, sanitation and hygiene: practical solutions for policies and programmes. 2015.
5. Siddhanta A, Chattopadhyay A. Role of Women’s Empowerment in Determining Child Stunting in Eastern India and Bangladesh. Soc Sci Spectr. 2017 Mar 1;3:38–51.
6. Levels & Trends in Child Malnutrition.UNICEF-WHO-The World Bank Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates. 2012.
7. WHO. Nutrition Landscape Information System (NLIS) Country Profile Indicators. 2010.
8. UNICEF. WASH’ Nutrition.A practical guidebook on increasing nutritional impact through integration of WASH and Nutrition programmes.
9. Esteves Mills J, Cumming O. The impact of water, sanitation and hygiene on key health and social outcomes: review of evidence. 2017.
10. Ministry of Health Nepal, New Era I. Nepal demographic Health Survey. 2016.
11. Multi-sector Nutrition Plan (2018-2022). Nepal Nutrition and Food Security Portal: Government of Nepal, Secretariat NNaFS; 2018.
12. WHO. Disaster Risk Management for Health, water, sanitation and hygiene. 2011.
13. WHO/UNICEF. Annual report WHO/UNICEF joint monitoring programme for water supply, sanitation and hygiene.
14. Nshimyiryo A, Hedt-Gauthier B, Mutaganzwa C, Kirk CM, Beck K, Ndayisaba A, et al. Risk factors for stunting among children under five years: a cross-sectional population-based study in Rwanda using the 2015 Demographic and Health Survey. BMC Public Health. 2019 Feb;19(1):175.
15. Asfaw M, Wondaferash M, Taha M, Dube L. Prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors among children aged between six to fifty nine months in Bule Hora district, South Ethiopia. BMC Public Health. 2015 Jan;15:41.
16. Akombi BJ, Agho KE, Merom D, Hall JJ, Renzaho AM. Multilevel Analysis of Factors Associated with Wasting and Underweight among Children Under-Five Years in Nigeria. Nutrients. 2017 Jan;9(1).
17. Luby SP, Rahman M, Arnold BF, Unicomb L, Ashraf S, Winch PJ, et al. Effects of water quality, sanitation, handwashing, and nutritional interventions on diarrhoea and child growth in rural Bangladesh: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Lancet Glob Heal. 2018 Mar;6(3):e302–15.
18. Acharya D, Singh JK, Adhikari M, Gautam S, Pandey P, Dayal V. Association of water handling and child feeding practice with childhood diarrhoea in rural community of Southern Nepal. J Infect Public Health. 2018;11(1):69–74.
19. Rah JH, Cronin AA, Badgaiyan B, Aguayo VM, Coates S, Ahmed S. Household sanitation and personal hygiene practices are associated with child stunting in rural India: a cross-sectional analysis of surveys. BMJ Open. 2015 Feb;5(2):e005180.
20. WHO. Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, World Health Oranization. 2008.
21. Legason I, Ratib D. Prevalence of acute malnutrition among children ages 6-59 months: Results from a baseline nutrition survey in North-Western Uganda. J Nutr Hum Heal. 2018 Jan 1;02.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Anil Kumar Singh, Shambhu Prasad Acharya, Ashok Pandey
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in the Nepal Journal of Public Health (NJPH) are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License. This license allows others to:
- Share: Copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
- Adapt: Remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution: Appropriate credit must be given, a link to the license must be provided, and any changes made must be indicated. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
For more details about the license, please visit the Creative Commons website.
