Household food security and nutritional status of children 24-59 months in Namutumba district

Abstract

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.