Nepal has achieved significant progress in poverty reduction since 2004, the nutritional status of children remains as a major concern (World Bank 2014). According to the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey in 2011 (NDHS), 29 per cent of children under 5 years of age are underweight, 11 per cent are wasted and 41 percent are stunted. The situation is even more worrying in the Karnali zone, one of the poorest and most remote area in the Mid-Western Development Region of Nepal. 39 per cent of the under-five children are underweight, 12 per cent are wasted and 58 per cent are stunted (GoN, UNICEF and VaRG forthcoming).
This study investigates the effects of the Child Grant (CG), a cash transfer programme for children under the 5 years of age,on child nutrition of Karnali zone,Nepal. While the programme has reached over 550,000 children in Nepal and over 90,000 children in Karnali districts,there has been little evidence of the impacts of CG,especially o the nutritional outcomes. Based on the survey of 3,750 household with at least one child under 5 years in Karnali zones,this research analyses the quantitatively the changes in the three indicators of under nutrition (i.e underweight,wasting and stunning) associated with the CG. Since the actual amount of transfer varied widely among the recipient households due to the weak implementation,the study uses the amount of CG received per children in 12 months preceding the survey as the main independent variable of interest.
It was revealed that higher amount of CG is associated with reduction in underweight and severe wasting. For instance,the prevalence of underweight decreased from 42.5 percent for non-recipients to 34.5 of the children who received the full amount of CG, decreased by 8 percent age point (18.8 percent). The model projects that,if the amount of CG increases to NRs 500(USD $5)per month from the current NRs 200(USD $2),the prevalence of underweight will decline to 23.8 percent. This findings is supported by analysis of immediate cause of under nutrition,which revealed that the recipient household of CG were more likely to obtain desire amount and frequency of meals. Based on the findings,this study suggests scaling up the CG,as well as increasing the benefit amount to improve the child nutrition in Nepal.
#KarnaliZone #NutritionalStatus #ChildNutritionInNepal
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Publisher:
UNICEF
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(2014
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Type / Script:
Publication
in English
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Keywords:
CHILD NUTRITION, FOOD AND NUTRITION, CHILD HEALTH, NUTRITION EDUCATION, HEALTH EDUCATION, INFANT NUTRITION, NUTRITION PROGRAMMES, NUTRITION POLICY, NUTRITIONAL DISEASES, MALNUTRITION, FOOD SECURITY, RIGHT TO FOOD, BASIC NEEDS, HEALTH, CHILD FEEDING, HEALTH SERVICES, COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES
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Thematic Group:
UNICEF
:
Children Fund
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Thesaurus:
10.01.00
- Food And Nutrition
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Reference Link:
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