Masters Degree Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12504/159

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Browsing Masters Degree Dissertations by Subject "Children"

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    Feeding practices, nutrient adequacy and nutritional status of children 12-23 months in Kwania and Apac districts, northern Uganda
    (Kyambogo University (Unpublished work), 2024-08) Ruma, Hendry Daniel
    Sub-optimal feeding practices is responsible for one third of all cases of child malnutrition. The effects are more severe in children between the ages of 12-23 months since this is a crucial period for development with irreversible effects of poor nutrition. The high prevalence of malnutrition among children in rural areas in Uganda, along with a dearth of insight on feeding practices and the nutrient adequacy of local foods, is proving to be a major concern. To determine the association between feeding practices, nutrient adequacy and nutritional status of children 12-23 months in Apac and Kwania district. This was part of an ongoing study which adopted quantitative cross‐sectional and descriptive study design. Based on the 11.5% of children in Lango meeting a minimum dietary diversity, a sample size of 156 children was used. Multi stage simple random sampling was used to select households with the index child 12-23 months. Structured interviews, weighed food record and anthropometric assessment were used for data collection. Nutri-Survey (Version 2007), IMAPP (Version 1.0) and WHO Anthro softwares (Version 3.1) were used to analyze nutrient adequacy and categorize nutritional status respectively. Chi-square test and multinomial regression test were used to establish associates and predictors of nutritional status outcomes respectively. This was performed at a 95% confidence interval (p <0.05). About 18.6% of the children met the minimum dietary diversity (MDD), 28.2% met the minimum meal frequency (MMF) and 9.6% of the children met the minimum acceptable diet (MAD). The children’s diet was inadequate in dietary fibre, vitamin B1, B2, vitamin E, calcium, iron, and zinc. 19.3% of the children were stunted, 12.2% of the children were underweight and 2.5% of the children were wasted. Wasting was significantly associated with bottle feeding (p=0.019, χ2=5.47) practice and late initiation of breastfeeding (p=0.05, χ2=3.606). Stunting was significantly associated with dietary diversity and meeting a minimum acceptable diet (p=0.037, χ2=5.552) and (p=0.042, χ2=3.591), respectively. Children with adequate calcium intake were 0.301 times less likely to be stunted (AOR=0.301, 95% CI: 0.113-0.803, p=0.016). Children who had inadequate intake of vitamin A were 7.9 times more likely to be underweight compared to those who took adequate amounts (AOR=7.967, 95% CI: 1.169-54.309, p=0.034). In conclusion, this study highlights significant concerns regarding the sub-optimal feeding practices and inadequate nutritional content in the foods examined. The findings indicate a pressing need for improved dietary practices and increased attention to essential nutrients, including energy, niacin, iron, zinc, calcium, dietary fiber, and vitamins.
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    Household food security and nutritional status of children 24-59 months in Namutumba district
    (Kyambogo University (Unpublished work), 2025-09) Kizito, Ndegeya
    Background: Household food security is complex and significantly affects children's nutritional status, ultimately impacting their growth and development. Objective of the study: This was to establish the food security situation among households and the nutritional status of children 24-59 months in Namutumba District. Specifically, the study assessed the Household food security status, childhood nutritional status, and associated factors. The connection between child nutritional status and household food security was also examined. Methodology: A mixed-methods research and cross-sectional analysis were carried out utilizing a structured household questionnaire, focus group discussions, and key informant interview guides. In the study, a total of 308 households were randomly chosen, and the nutritional status of each indexed child was evaluated through anthropometric measurements. Out of these, 299 households and 289 children had complete data and were thus analyzed to produce the final outcomes of the study. Results: Almost all households (99%) experienced food insecurity with the majority facing severe food insecurity (60.2%). Household size (Adjusted PRR: 1.04; 95% C.I: 1.01, 1.08; p=0.005), limited access to agricultural land (Adjusted PRR: 1.26; 95% C.I: 1.07, 1.49; p=0.005), inadequate household food stocks (Adjusted PRR: 1.52; 95% C.I: 1.20, 1.92; <0.001) and low wealth index (Adjusted PRR: 0.71; 95% C.I: 0.52, 0.96, p=0.027) were positively associated factors with HH food insecurity. However, caregiver factors never had any association. The prevalence of stunting was as high as 28.0% with severe stunting at 10.4%. Wasting was at 3.1% with 0.7% severely wasted and underweight at 9.7%. None of the HH, caregiver and child characteristics had significant influence on the nutritional status of children. Simple and multiple linear regression models revealed HFIAS scores having a negative association with both WHZ scores (β=-0.81, p=0.007) and HAZ scores (β=-0.37, p=0.039).This implies that increase in HH food insecurity increases the likelihood of both wasting and stunting among children. On the other hand, food insecurity had no relationship with underweight (β=0.001, p=0.998) among children. Conclusion: Results from this study highlighted the essential function of food security in preventing stunting and wasting while enhancing health and wellbeing in children 24-59 months. Nevertheless, it does not affect underweight as a composite indicator of nutritional status in children, suggesting that food security by itself is solely inadequate to foster optimal growth and development in children. Consequently, there is a necessity to enhance both nutrition-specific and sensitive interventions, focusing on bettering the quality of health services, income sources, access to agricultural land, and food supplies. All these factors are crucial for enhancing the nutritional results of children in Namutumba district.