Background: Preschool child anthropometric status has been assessed nationally in Nepal since 1975, with semi-decadal surveys since 1996, plus several recent, short-interval surveys to track progress toward achieving a World Health Assembly (WHA) goal to reduce stunting to 24% by 2025. Objective: We report prevalence of preschool child stunting and wasting from a national survey in 2016 and place findings into the context of national trends and alignment for Nepal to attain its WHA 2025 goal. Methods: A representative, midyear Policy and Science for Health, Agriculture and Nutrition (PoSHAN) survey was conducted in 2016 on 5479 children <60 months in 4051 households in 21 village development committees. Child weight and height were measured, and sociodemographic factors were assessed. Data from previous surveys (Nepal Demographic Health Surveys, PoSHAN) were also acquired, and rates of stunting (<−2 height-for-age z score) and wasting (<−2 weight-for-height z score) were compared to current World Health Organization standards. Trends were expressed as average annual rates of reduction (AARR). Results: Nationally, in 2016, 34.1% of preschoolers were stunted and 13.7% wasted. Stunting was highest in the Mountains (40.6%) and wasting highest in the Tarai (18.9%). Trend analysis revealed a steady decline (3.8% AARR) in stunting from 2001 to 2013, with virtually no decline from 2013 to 2016. Wasting has been continually high and variable, at ≥8%, since 1975. Conclusions: Following a steady decline in prevalence, preschool child stunting has plateaued at ∼35% in Nepal, while wasting has changed little over time, offering the opportunity to inform, reassess, and adjust, as needed, efforts to reach WHA 2025 goals.

中文翻译：

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2016 年尼泊尔学龄前儿童营养状况：全国概况和 40 年比较趋势

背景：自 1975 年以来，尼泊尔在全国范围内对学龄前儿童的人体测量状况进行了评估，自 1996 年以来进行了半十年的调查，加上最近的几次短期调查，以跟踪实现世界卫生大会 (WHA) 将发育迟缓减少到 24% 的目标的进展情况到 2025 年。 目标：我们报告了 2016 年全国调查中学龄前儿童发育迟缓和消瘦的流行率，并将调查结果置于国家趋势和尼泊尔实现其 WHA 2025 目标的一致性的背景下。方法：2016 年对 21 个村发展委员会的 4051 户家庭中的 5479 名 <60 个月的儿童进行了具有代表性的年中健康、农业和营养政策与科学 (PoSHAN) 调查。测量了儿童的体重和身高，并评估了社会人口因素。先前调查的数据（尼泊尔人口健康调查，还获得了 PoSHAN），并将发育迟缓（<-2 年龄别身高 z 分数）和消瘦率（<-2 身高别体重 z 分数）与当前的世界卫生组织标准进行了比较。趋势表示为平均年减少率 (AARR)。结果：在全国范围内，2016 年，34.1% 的学龄前儿童发育迟缓，13.7% 消瘦。山区发育迟缓最高 (40.6%)，德赖 (Tarai) 消瘦率最高 (18.9%)。趋势分析显示，2001 年至 2013 年发育迟缓稳步下降（3.8% AARR），2013 年至 2016 年几乎没有下降。自 1975 年以来，消瘦率一直居高不下，≥8%。 结论：继流行率，尼泊尔学龄前儿童发育迟缓已稳定在 35% 左右，而消瘦随着时间的推移几乎没有变化，提供了根据需要进行告知、重新评估和调整的机会，