ASSESSEMENT OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS, MEALTIME BEHAVIOUR AND DIETARY INTAKE IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH AUTISM IN BIRTAMODE, JHAPA

Abstract

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to assess nutritional status of 74 autistic

children aged 2–15 years using census sampling. Data were collected with a pretested semi- structured questionnaire to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics, child

and maternal factors, caregiving practices, health and immunization history, mealtime behavior, gastrointestinal symptoms, and dietary intake. Anthropometric measurements (height, weight, and MUAC) were taken and analyzed according to WHO growth standards to assess underweight, stunting, thinness, overweight, and obesity. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 26, WHO Anthro, and WHO Anthro-Plus, Univariate logistic regression, Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, ANOVA, and the Kruskal Wallis test were applied to examine associations between nutritional outcomes and explanatory variables. Among the study participants, the assessment of nutritional status revealed that a small proportion were affected by undernutrition, with 3.2% classified as moderately underweight and 2.7% as moderately stunted. In terms of thinness, 8.1% were moderately thin, while 5.4% were severely thin. Conversely, indicators of overnutrition were also observed, with 9.5% of participants classified as overweight and 4.05% as obese, highlighting the coexistence of both undernutrition and overnutrition within the study population. The dietary assessment of the study population revealed notable patterns in food consumption. A small proportion of participants (1.4%) reported never consuming rice, while a majority (87.8%) consumed dal on a regular basis, and half of the participants (50%) included green leafy vegetables (GLV) in their diet regularly. Analysis of nutrient intake showed that protein consumption among the children was higher than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA), whereas calcium intake was observed to be insufficient, indicating potential imbalances in macro- and micronutrient intake. Most socio-demographic, dietary, and feeding behavior variables were not significantly associated with nutritional status (p > 0.05). The child’s age (p = 0.024) was significantly associated with underweight, indicating that younger children were more likely to be underweight. Age and weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) were significantly associated with thinness and obesity, suggesting that age is an important determinant of nutritional status.