Determinants of nutrition status among children in Uganda
Abstract
The study aimed to find the determinants of nutrition status among children in Uganda, and three specific objectives were assessed. The study was based on secondary data which collected by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics related to children. Analysis was done using SPSS and presented at three levels; univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis.
With univariate analysis, the majority of the children measured for nutritional status were male, more than a half of them had acquired primary education as their highest level, more than three quarters of respondents resided in rural areas, a quarter of respondents were in the age bracket of 20-24 and 25-29, almost a half of the respondents were very poor, more than a quarter of the respondents were Anglican and Catholics, more than three quarters were currently employed, almost a half of the respondents were married and living with a partner, more than a half of the respondents had given birth to three children, more than a half of respondents had ever breastfed their children though they were currently not breastfeeding them and more than three quarters of the mother breastfed their children for at least 8 months.
From the binary logistic results, it was observed that for the respondents who had attained primary education, secondary and higher there was an increase in the chance of the child being normal compared to those with no education, for the child who was still breastfeeding there was an increase in the chance of them being normal than those who had ever been breastfed, for those in middle income there was increase and for those in the highest income level there was an increase in the chance of the child being normal than those with the lowest incomes, and for the respondents between 25-29 years, 30-34 years, 45-49 years, there was an increase in the chance of the child being normal than for those between 15-19 years.
The researcher recommends; investment in girl child education should be increased in the country by the government and even non-government organizations, and investment in girl child education should be increased in the country by the government and even non-government organizations, and investment in women empowerment programs should be also highly emphasized by the policymakers in the country as women who are economically stable are able to provide the required diet for their children compared to those who are poor.