Child Health Status of Nepal: Social Exclusion Perspective

Abstract

Introduction: Nepal has achieved a spectacular success in child health over the last decades but the achievement is not uniform across different social groups. Therefore, there is urgent need to identify the groups who are excluded from access of child health services which would give us population at risk to prioritize and utilize the scarce resources available in health sector more effectively and efficiently.
Methods: The study was descriptive type and was based on review of secondary data of different studies done in past. The study used World Bank framework of dimension of exclusion to analyze social exclusion in child health in Nepal. The health differentials in child health across different social groups were analyzed using simple descriptive analysis like percentage and ratios. The trends of the child health disparities over the ten years were done comparing the data of NFHS1996 and NDHS 2006.
Results: The study showed there were disparities in child health status by ethnicity, location, wealth status. In most of the cases, the trends of disparities are increasing for mortality indicators and malnutrition status. Interestingly, the gaps in accessibility indicators of child health services are becoming narrowed down.
Conclusion: This study showed the discrepancies in child health status in different social groups. The inequality in childhood mortality and malnutrition are increasing over the period for different groups where as it is decreasing for accessibility indicators of childhood health services.

Key words: Child health status, inequality, social exclusion, social groups.  

doi: 10.3126/jnps.v29i2.2044

J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol 29, No. 2, pp.79-84