%0 Journal Article
%T Risk Factors For Stunted Growth Among Children Aged 6¨C59 Months in Rural Uganda - Risk Factors For Stunted Growth Among Children Aged 6¨C59 Months in Rural Uganda - Open Access Pub
%A Abel Atukwase
%A Archileo N. Kaaya
%A John Bukusuba
%J OAP | Home | International Journal of Nutrition | Open Access Pub
%D 2018
%X Despite the agreed global and national stunting reduction targets, Uganda has made very little progress. Understanding context-specific risk factors for stunted growth is therefore pertinent to designing programs to address the problem. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 32 randomly selected villages in Buhweju district, Southwest Uganda. Data entry, cleaning and analysis were carried out using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. A regression analysis was conducted to examine the associations between potential risk factors and stunted growth. The survey covered 256 households and anthropometric measurements were taken for 221 children aged 6¨C59 months. The majority of the households (66%) in the district were food insecure and had a low socioeconomic status (84%). The prevalence of stunting in Buhweju district was 51%, which is significantly higher than the regional and national averages. Only 28% of the children were exclusively breastfed in the first 6 months of life, and only 10% of them received the minimum acceptable diet (MAD). The findings of this study demonstrate that reductions in stunted growth at national or regional levels has not necessarily translated into similar trends in rural areas of Uganda. The notable contributors to stunting in these areas include morbidity, sub-optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices, low consumption of animal-source foods, food insecurity, lack of access to high-quality drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities and poverty. Increased investment in both nutrition specific and sensitive interventions is therefore crucial to address these risk factors. DOI 10.14302/issn.2379-7835.ijn-16-1408 Background Stunting has recently gained international attention because it has severe short- and long-term health consequences and affects 178 million children in low- and middle-income countries1, 2. Globally, the prevalence of stunting is highest in Eastern Africa, where 50% of children under 5 years old are stunted1, and Uganda has one of the highest burdens of stunted growth2, 3. Therefore, in 2012, the World Health Organization adopted a resolution on maternal, infant and young child nutrition that included a global target of a 40% reduction in the number of stunted children under 5 years old by 20252. Despite the agreed global and national stunting reduction targets, Uganda has made very little progress, and it is currently not on course to meet the Second National Development Plan (NDP II) and World Health Assembly (WHA) targets, as shown in Figure 1 and 22, 4,
%U https://www.openaccesspub.org/ijn/article/411