Nutritional Status of Under-five Children and its Associated Factors in Dhulikhel Municipality, Kavrepalanchok, Nepal

Introduction: The nutritional status of children under five years is not only a crucial indicator of their present health status but also offers insight into socio-economic and other factors within a community. The study aimed to assess the nutrition status of under-five children with its associated factors and the household food security status in Dhulikhel municipality, Nepal Methods: This study was quantitative cross-sectional conducted among 323 under-five children in all 12 wards of Dhulikhel municipality. Face-to-face interviews were carried out with the mothers of under-five children using standard questionnaires, and anthropometric tools. Results: This study found that the prevalence of stunting, wasting, underweight, and overweight was 33.6%, 9.3%, 23.5%, and 14.5% respectively. Nearly 86.4% of the households of Dhulikhel municipality were food secure whereas 13.6% of the households were insecure. Availability of kitchen gardens showed a statistically significant association with a lower prevalence of wasting (6.2%) and underweight (18.6%). The proportion of stunting and underweight children was significantly higher (56.8% and 50% respectively) among households that were not food secure. Conclusion: Among the surveyed children, nearly half had at least one form of malnutrition. Food insecurity was associated with a higher prevalence of stunting and underweight. Availability of kitchen gardens was associated with a lower prevalence of wasting and underweight in this study. Food insecurity and agro-health-based programs must be considered while designing interventions to curb various forms of malnutrition.