Diet and socio-economic factors and their association with the nutritional status of pre-school children in a low income suburb of Kampala City, Uganda.
OBJECTIVE
To establish dietary and socio-economic factors and their association with the nutritional status of pre-school children in a poor suburb of Kampala city, Uganda.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Three nursery schools in a low income suburb of Kampala city, Uganda.


METHODS
A sub-sample of forty one randomly selected pre-school children (three to six years of age) from a larger intervention study, participated in the present investigation.


RESULTS
The results reveal high levels of chronic malnutrition (stunting and underweight) among the children. Almost half (46.3%) and one third (29.3%) of the children had height-for-age and weight-for-age centiles, respectively, below the 20th centile. The father's educational status was significantly (p = 0.017) associated with the children's nutritional status with all the children whose fathers had tertiary education and above having better weight-for-age centiles (above the 50th). Economic status too was significantly (p = 0.026) associated with the nutritional status of the children with children from the upper and mid-upper socio-economic classes having better weight-for-age centiles than children from the lower socio-economic status. Analysis of the diet showed a significant association between the nutrition status of the children and some of the foods consumed. Children who were above the 50th weight-for-age centiles consumed significantly more bread (p = 0.008) and light-green-leafy vegetables (p = 0.020) than those who had lower weight-for-age centiles. Children who were above their 50th height-for-age centiles consumed significantly (p = 0.049) more soybeans than children who had lower height-for-age centiles.


CONCLUSIONS
Socio-economic as well as dietary factors were found to be inextricably linked and have been shown to be significantly associated with the nutritional status in this group of suburban pre-school children in Kampala city, Uganda.
Kikafunda
J K
JK
Department of Food Science and Technology, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda.
Tumwine
J K
JK
D000886:Anthropometry; D002648:Child; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D004032:Diet / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D005502:Food / Q000145:classification* / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000502:physiology*; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018881:Suburban Health; D013851:Thinness / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology