Maternal and Child Nutrition in Nepal: Examining drivers of progress from the mid-1990s to 2010s

Abstract

The authors qualitative and quantitative analyses highlights similar policy and community level changes but limited improvements in child feeding and care practices. Improvements in 4 key drivers of nutritional change emerged: health services, sanitation, education, and wealth. However, the relative contributions of each factor varied by indicator, with health services more important for linear growth among children, and sanitation more important for weight gain among both children and mothers. The authors conclude with a discussion bringing the qualitative and quantitative findings together into key lessons from Nepal’s success. This research is supported by the Department for International Development’s by the Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (LANSA) programme