Peer-reviewed article
Prevalence of the Double Burden of Malnutrition in Nepalese Students Aged 6-18 Years: An Urgent Call for Intervention.
Adam Flensborg Safikhany, Dinesh Neupane, Tara Ballav Adhikari, Per Kallestrup, Cecilie Blenstrup Patsche ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study measured stunting, underweight, overweight and obesity in 11,782 Nepalese schoolchildren aged 6-18 years across 111 schools in Kaski district. The researchers found that malnutrition affects children in different ways depending on where they live and what type of school they attend: rural and public school students tend to be undernourished, while urban and private school students tend to be overweight. About 1% of children showed signs of both stunting and overweight, demonstrating that malnutrition is a complex problem affecting Nepal's children.
Key points
- Stunting prevalence was 15.8%, underweight 6.1%, overweight 10.7%, and obesity 3.3%
- Rural schools had higher stunting rates (20.5% vs 15.1% urban)
- Urban schools had higher overweight (11.2% vs 7.1% rural) and obesity rates (3.6% vs 1.5% rural)
- Public school students were more often stunted and underweight; private school students more often overweight and obese
- 1.0% of students were both stunted and overweight/obese, showing the double burden within individuals
Limitations
This is a descriptive study that measures the prevalence of malnutrition but does not evaluate any intervention or explain the causes of the observed patterns. The study is limited to Kaski district and may not represent all of Nepal.
Abstract
The double burden of malnutrition (DBM), defined as the coexistence of undernutrition and overnutrition within the same population or individual, is a growing concern in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Nepal. Identifying malnutrition in schools supports targeted interventions. This study estimates the prevalence of stunting, underweight, overweight and obesity among Nepalese schoolchildren and examines the coexistence of stunting and overweight. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 11 782 students aged 6-18 years from 111 randomly selected schools in Kaski, Nepal. Sociodemographic data were collected via questionnaire, and trained researchers measured height and weight. Malnutrition was classified using the World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards, and chi-square tests were used for statistical comparisons. The prevalence of stunting, underweight, overweight and obesity was 15.8%, 6.1%, 10.7% and 3.3%, respectively, while 1.0% of students were both stunted and overweight/obese. Stunting was more common in rural schools (20.5% vs. 15.1%, p < 0.001), whereas overweight (11.2% vs. 7.1%, p < 0.001) and obesity (3.6% vs. 1.5%, p < 0.001) were more common in urban schools. Public school students were more often stunted (18.2% vs. 13.2%, p < 0.004) and underweight (6.7% vs. 5.4%, p < 0.001), whereas private school students were more often overweight (13.3% vs. 8.2%, p < 0.001) and obese (5.0% vs. 1.7%, p < 0.001). The DBM occurs at both school and individual levels, including within the same school, with undernutrition more common in rural and public schools and overnutrition in urban and private schools. Tailored school-based nutrition programmes are urgently needed.