Nutritional status of children in Nepal, 1975.

Using a random start, fixed interval method of population proportionate sampling, the survey teams visited 219 villages in rural Nepal and collected data on height, weight, and age from 6501 preschool children. During training and at specific times during the survey, systematic standardization methods were utilized to improve the quality of the collected data. Using 80% of the reference median weight-for-height as the cut-off point, the prevalence of acute undernutrition was 6.7%. Using 90% of the reference median height-for-age as the cut-off point, the prevalence of chronic undernutrition was 52%. The prevalence of chronic undernutrition was significantly higher in the hilly areas. Mean haemoglobin values of blood samples collected from one-fifth of the survey population increased with age with no difference between hill and terai areas. A Nepal urban elite population was measured for comparison. The survey method used indicators that are economical in terms of money, time, and personnel and that provide objective data on the extent and distribution of protein/energy undernutrition and of low haemoglobin values in preschool children.