PREVALENCE OF MALNUTRITION AMONG CHILDREN UNDER FIVE IN KIRUMYA SUB COUNTY, BUNDIBUGYO DISTRICT

ABSTRACT

Malnutrition is pandemic and affects millions of people around the world and in Uganda, malnutrition contributes to about 60% of child mortality (USAID, 2010).

According to the 2011 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey, 33% children were found stunted and only 6% of the children aged 6 to 23 months were fed appropriately based on the recommended infant and young child feeding practices.

This research is therefore aimed at assessing the prevalence of malnutrition, establish factors associated with occurrence of malnutrition and review specific interventions to control malnutrition under five in Kirumya sub county, Bundibugyo district.

The study was carried out in Kirumya sub county, Bundibugyo district among children under five years and a descriptive cross sectional study design was used, sample size was determined by the Fishers et al, 2003 formula on 110 children under five and data was randomly collected.

From the study conducted, 10% were having underweight, 13% were found to be wasted and hence this was the more frequent form of under nutrition compared to underweight.

Also from the study, under nutrition was prevalent among children between 24 and 59 months possibly due to early weaning, lack of breast feeding and inadequate child spacing.

Factors associated with occurrence of malnutrition included; Short duration of breast feeding, infection which is responsible for 63.6% children with low weight for age and 61.5% of children wasted, maternal age below 20 years which is responsible for 45.5% of the children with underweight and 46.2% with wasting.

In conclusion, two forms of malnutrition; wasting and underweight are prevalent in kirumya sub county region and this prevalence among children under five is still high and this requires interventions from health workers, mothers, and MoH. The factors associated with occurrence of malnutrition were showed to be inadequate breast feeding, infections and maternal age below 20 years among other factors hence a great deal of interventions still needed to reduce the burden of malnutrition dependent on these factors.