title: Human rights dimensions of food, health and care in children's homes in Kampala, Uganda - a qualitative study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  More than 14 % of Ugandan children are orphaned and many live in children's homes. Ugandan authorities have targeted adolescent girls as a priority group for nutrition interventions as safeguarding nutritional health before pregnancy can reduce the chance of passing on malnutrition to the offspring and thus future generations. Ugandan authorities have obligations under international human rights law to progressively realise the rights to adequate food, health and care for all Ugandan children. Two objectives guided this study in children's homes: (a) To examine female adolescent residents' experiences, attitudes and views regarding: (i) eating patterns and food, (ii) health conditions, and (iii) care practices; and (b) to consider if the conditions in the homes comply with human rights standards and principles for the promotion of the rights to adequate food, health and care.
  
  
  METHODS
  A human rights-based approach guided the planning and conduct of this study. Five children's homes in Kampala were included where focus group discussions were held with girls aged 12-14 and 15-17 years. These discussions were analysed through a phenomenological approach. The conditions of food, health and care as experienced by the girls, were compared with international standards for the realisation of the human rights to adequate food, health and care.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Food, health and care conditions varied greatly across the five homes. In some of these the girls consumed only one meal per day and had no access to clean drinking water, soap, toilet paper and sanitary napkins. The realisation of the right to adequate food for the girls was not met in three homes, the realisation of the right to health was not met in two homes, and the realisation of the right to care was not met in one home.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In three of the selected children's homes human rights standards for food, health or care were not met. Care in the children's homes was an important contributing factor for whether standards for the rights to adequate food and health were met.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Line Erikstad
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Vogt
authors.affiliation: School of Liberal and Performing Arts, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Byaruhanga
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rukooko
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. p.o.iversen@medisin.uio.no.|Division of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, South Africa. p.o.iversen@medisin.uio.no.
authors.forename: Per Ole
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Iversen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Wenche Barth
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Eide
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D054540:Child, Orphaned / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006806:Human Rights; D006801:Humans; D044342:Malnutrition; D019372:Orphanages / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D011247:Pregnancy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D014454:Uganda; D035862:Vulnerable Populations
keywords: Adolescent girls; Care; Child care institutions; Children’s homes; Human rights; Nutrition; Right to food