Assessment of a Community-Based Nutrition Program for Women and Children in Nepal Using Demographic and Health Survey.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
; 21(6)2024 Jun 09.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38928999
ABSTRACT
Undernutrition is a particularly acute problem in middle- and low-income countries. The "Suaahara" program is a 5-year community-focused program in Nepal, aimed at improving the health and nutrition of pregnant and lactating women and their children under the age of 2 years. This research contributes to evidence on the impact of the "Suaahara" program in 41 treated districts compared to 34 control districts. Using the difference-in-differences method, we found that the weight-for-height z-score and body mass index z-score of children under the age of 2 in the treated districts significantly increased by 0.223 standard deviations (SDs) and 0.236 SDs, respectively, compared with the control districts 5 years before and after the program. The number of antenatal care visits (at least four visits) and safe deliveries significantly increased for pregnant women by 10.4% and 9.1%, respectively, in the treated districts compared with the control districts. The prevalence of fever in children under 2 years of age was significantly reduced by 6.2% in the treated districts. The results show the significance of a policy evaluation with transparent indicators on public health, which is necessary for policymakers so that they can propose evidence-based policy.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Temas:
ECOS
/
Aspectos_gerais
Bases de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Inquéritos Epidemiológicos
Limite:
Adult
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Child, preschool
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Female
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Humans
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Infant
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Male
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Newborn
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Pregnancy
País/Região como assunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int J Environ Res Public Health
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Japão