Abstract

Healthy population is indispensable for national development. Adequate food intake by people is the key determinant to keep up their health. Malnutrition nevertheless remains pervasive in developing countries, undermining people's health, productivity, and often their survival. Food insecurity and hunger remain persistent in Nepal, prevalence of low calories intake by rural family is widespread throughout the country population. Mainly marginalized communities, ethnic group with poor economic status, traditional societies and lower cast people are exposed to food deficit. The cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the prevalence of low calories intake by rural families and its associated determinants in Palpa district of Nepal at 2012. A random sample of 339 families was selected from rural areas (DUMRE, DAMKADA and TELGHA villages) of this district. Data were analyzed by using the SPSS software for Windows (version 16.0). The existence of inadequate food calorie intake among rural families was most common. Most of them were fall under the malnutrition. The study concluded that calorie intake of ethnic group was significantly higher than other group.