Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40564696›Full record

ArticleChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Nutritional Status and Health Challenges Among Schoolchildren in Nepal's Solukhumbu Valley.

María Teresa Murillo-Llorente, Noemí Gil-Cuñat, Sara Moltó-Dominguez, Javier Pérez-Murillo, Manuel Tejeda-Adell, Miriam Martínez-Peris, Francisco Tomás-Aguirre, María Ester Legidos-García, Marcelino Pérez-Bermejo

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Article in Children (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

María Teresa Murillo-LlorenteSONEV Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, C/Quevedo No. 2, 46001 Valencia, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-9905-0443
Noemí Gil-CuñatDepartment of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, C/Quevedo No. 2, 46001 Valencia, Spain.
Sara Moltó-DominguezCentro de Salud de L'Eliana, Departamento Arnau de Vilanova-Lliria, 46183 Valencia, Spain.
Javier Pérez-MurilloSONEV Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, C/Quevedo No. 2, 46001 Valencia, Spain.
Manuel Tejeda-AdellSONEV Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, C/Quevedo No. 2, 46001 Valencia, Spain.
Miriam Martínez-PerisSONEV Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, C/Quevedo No. 2, 46001 Valencia, Spain.
Francisco Tomás-AguirreSONEV Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, C/Quevedo No. 2, 46001 Valencia, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-9515-180X
María Ester Legidos-GarcíaSONEV Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, C/Quevedo No. 2, 46001 Valencia, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-5468-4434
Marcelino Pérez-BermejoSONEV Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, C/Quevedo No. 2, 46001 Valencia, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-5027-4785

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesChild undernutrition remains a critical public health issue in Nepal, especially in the rural district of Solukhumbu. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and clinical characteristics of undernutrition, dietary patterns, and related health indicators in school-aged children from the Shree Saraswoti Basic School in Phuleli.

methodsA descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted between July and August 2022. Fifty-four children (51.8% boys; mean age 9.4 ± 2.1 years) were evaluated using anthropometry, clinical examination, hemoglobin measurement, and three-day 24 h dietary recall. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

resultsBMI z-scores indicated that 39% of children were at risk of acute undernutrition, and 2% were at risk of moderate acute undernutrition. After adjusting for altitude, 87% were classified as anemic. Diets were dominated by cereals and vegetables, with a very low intake of fruits and proteins and no dairy consumption. Dental caries affected 59% of participants. Girls presented slightly higher subcutaneous fat percentages; however, 14.8% of the children exceeded the recommended thresholds. A dietary assessment revealed poor eating habits, including excessive intake of simple carbohydrates and insufficient nutrient diversity. Although socioeconomic data were not directly collected, the findings reflect the typical context of the vulnerability of isolated mountain communities. Undernutrition indicators (BMI, clinical signs, anemia) were associated with poorer health outcomes. An unexpected moderate inverse correlation was found between BMI and both systolic (r = -0.601) and diastolic (r = -0.550) blood pressure.

conclusionsThe findings reveal a high burden of undernutrition and anemia among children in Solukhumbu, linked to poor diet and structural vulnerability. Urgent, community-based interventions-including nutrition education, agricultural diversification, and improved healthcare access-are needed. Longitudinal monitoring is essential to track progress and design sustainable, multisectoral solutions.

Indexed as

anemiaanthropometryblood pressurechild undernutritiondietary diversityNepalnutritional assessmentrural health

Identifiers

PMID40564696
PMCPMC12191511

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.