title: Socio-economic risk factors for severe protein energy malnutrition among children in Mulago Hospital, Kampala.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite Uganda's recent economic success, malnutrition is still an important public health problem and little information is available on socio-economic risk factors for severe protein energy malnutrition.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine socio-economic risk factors for severe protein energy malnutrition among children aged 0-60 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mulago Referral and Teaching Hospital, Kampala, Uganda.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty six severely malnourished children (age 0-60 months) were matched, for age and sex, with 66 well nourished controls, and socio-economic, demographic, health facility utilisation and feeding practices were compared between the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Severe protein energy malnutrition was associated with young age of the caretaker (p = 0.005), living in a mud walled house (OR 2.44, CI 1.13-5.32), lack of breast feeding (OR 3.22, CI 1.31-8.02), failure to complete immunisation (OR 3.68, CI 1.53-9.011), no land ownership (OR 4.62, CI 2.09-10.3), and no ownership of livestock (OR 13.65, CI 3.60-60.84), by the caretaker. The level of formal education of the caretaker was not associated with severe malnutrition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There seems to be a strong association between severe malnutrition and some indicators of poverty, lack of breastfeeding, and failure to complete immunisation. Programmes aimed at poverty alleviation, promotion of breastfeeding and immunisation, will go a long way in preventing malnutrition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University Medical School, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Owor
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Tumwine
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kikafunda
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014454:Uganda