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Background: To see which socioeconomic and demographic variables associate with the nutritional status of under five-year old Nepalese children. This nationwide study provides a comprehensive analysis on of risk factors for childhood acute and chronic undernutrion. Methods: The Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2006 was used as a cross sectional data source. A total of 3630 children were analysed. Standard Z-score were used for children. Anaemia was also defined using international norms. The statistical analysis used was binary logistic regression, which was performed using SPSS software package for Windows. The cut-off for a significant result was <0.05. Results: The results showed that 1680 (46.3%) of children were stunted, 1384 (38.1%) were underweight, 513 (14.1%) were wasted and 1631 (44.9%) were anaemic. Underweight and stunting showed significant association with mother's education and ethnicity. All nutritional factors were associated with ecological zone and standard of living. Also, underweight and wasting showed a significant relationship with religion. Conclusion: Maternal education, ecological zone, ethnicity and standard of living were the main predictors of child nutritional status.

Objective: To analyse trends in maternal nutritional status in Bangladesh over a 12-year period and to examine the associations between nutritional status and socio-economic variables., Design: Maternal nutritional status indicators were height, weight and BMI. Socio-economic variables used were region, residency, education and occupation of the mothers and their husbands, house type, and possession score in the household., Setting: Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (1996, 2000, 2004 and 2007) were the source of data., Subjects: A total of 16 278 mothers were included., Results: All of the socio-economic variables showed significant associations with maternal nutritional status indicators. Regional variation was found to be present; all three indicators were found to be lowest in the Sylhet division. Upward trends in maternal height, weight and BMI were evident from no possessions to four possessions in households, and for no education to higher education of women and their husbands. Bangladeshi mothers measured in 2007 were found to be on average 0·34 cm taller and 3·36 kg heavier than mothers measured in 1996. Between 1996 and 2007 maternal underweight fell from nearly 50 % to just over 30 % while overweight and obesity increased from about 3 % to over 9 % (WHO cut-offs) or from 7 % to nearly 18 % (Asian cut-offs)., Conclusions: The study reveals that over the 12-year period in Bangladesh there has been a substantial reduction in maternal underweight accompanied by a considerable increase in obesity. It is also evident that malnutrition in Bangladesh is a multidimensional problem that warrants a proper policy mix and programme intervention.

Background: The effect of helminth infestation on the nutrition, growth, and physiology of the host is still poorly understood. Anthelmintic treatment of children in developing countries has had varying success in terms of growth improvements., Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the effect of regular deworming on child growth, physiology, and biochemical status., Design: The study was a 12-mo longitudinal intervention in 123 Bangladeshi children aged 2-5 y. Treatment (mebendazole) or placebo tablets were administered every 2 mo for 8 mo and again at 12 mo. Weight, height, midupper arm circumference, intestinal permeability, plasma albumin, alpha(1)-antichymotrypsin, and total protein concentration were assessed every 2 mo., Results: Treatment with mebendazole reduced the prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides from 78% to 8%, of Trichuris trichiura from 65% to 9%, and of hookworm from 4% to 0%. There was no significant difference in the growth of treated children compared with those given placebo tablets. No changes in intestinal permeability or plasma albumin were observed after deworming. Significant decreases in total protein (P<0.001) and alpha(1)-antichymotrypsin (P<0.001) were observed in the treatment group, indicating possible reductions in inflammation and immunoglobulin concentration after deworming. A significant increase in the prevalence of Giardia intestinalis (from 4% to 49%) in the treatment group was associated with a short-term reduction in weight (P = 0.02) and higher intestinal permeability (P <0.001) in infected subjects. No long-term effects of G. intestinalis on growth were observed., Conclusion: Low-intensity helminth infections, predominantly of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura, do not contribute significantly to the poor growth and biochemical status of rural Bangladeshi children.