Contents Covered in Food and Nutrition-related Research in Nepal: A Narrative Review

Abstract

This review paper aims to examine the literature related to food and nutrition research conducted in various parts of Nepal, focusing on research objectives and questions, methodologies, and key findings. We utilized a thematic review approach following the articles available on Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus. This review-based study included research papers which are published online with open access, peer-reviewed, written in English language, studies conducted in Nepal, covering any demographic groups, and published from the past 10 years. A data search was performed, and the title and abstract were screened based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were extracted, including various descriptions such as author, year, objective or research questions, study area, methods, design, study group, sample size and sampling, data collection tools, data analysis, and key findings and themes. Altogether 11 research papers were reviewed. The study findings indicate that a lack of coverage of food and nutrition studies across the entire geography. Nearly three-fourths of studies 72.72% aimed to assess nutritional status, food choice, and eating practices. Over half of the studies 54.55% were based on quantitative methods. Similarly, studies with small sample sizes and random sampling were more common. Over half of the studies 54.55% employed semi-structured questionnaires and anthropometric measurements as data collection tools. Statistical analysis, such as frequency, percentage, and standard deviation, was commonly used to analyze data. The review further indicates that malnutrition is a key problem among children under five years of age, with a high rate of underweight and stunting, where economic status and parental education were the main determinants of malnutrition. This study concludes that there are several gaps, including the content gap, context gap, and methodological gap in food and nutrition research in Nepal. The Kham Magar, a tribal ethic group living in the mountainous and hilly districts of Rukum East and Rolpa, was not included in any of above reviewed studies. Similarly, qualitative and mixed methods are underrepresented in the literature. Therefore, further research should focus on qualitative studies focusing on indigenous food and nutrition beliefs and behaviors among tribal groups including the Kham Magar community.