Assessment of Infant and Young Child Feeding and Nutritional Status of Children 0-23 Months among Ilchamus Pastoralists in Baringo County, Kenya
Loading...
Date
2024-04
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
World Health Organization defines feeding practices of infants and young children as
breastfeeding instantly after delivery and continuing exclusively for six months.
Complementary feeding gradually from seven months with breastmilk till two years.
Caregivers adhere to adequate infant and young child feeding practices to minimize child
undernutrition. However, this is not always the case among the Ilchamus pastoralist
community who live in the arid and semi-arid regions of Baringo County, facing
challenges such as food insecurity and cattle theft. High prevalence of stunting (28.1%)
and underweight (4.7%) have been reported among the community despite efforts to
alleviate malnutrition in the area. Unfortunately, there is limited research on the feeding
practices of children aged zero to twenty-three months in this community, resulting in a
scarcity of information. Consequently, this study investigated the feeding patterns and
nutritional status of children zero to twenty-three months among the Ilchamus pastoralists
of Baringo County, Kenya. The researcher involved 206 caregivers with children zero to
twenty-three months. A cross-sectional analytical study design was adopted. A multi-stage
selection strategy was used to arrive at the study sample. Wards and locations were
purposively selected. While proportionate selection for villages and households. The study
was accomplished in Mukutani and Ilchamus Wards, Baringo County, Kenya. A structured
questionnaire was utilized to gather descriptive data. The Statistical Packages for Social
Sciences (SPSS) version 22 aided in data analysis. Nutritional status was determined by
the mid-upper arm circumference, Weight-for-height, and Weight-for-age Z-score based
on World Health Organization cut-offs. Descriptive statistics of infant and childcare
characteristics were done using percentages and frequencies while association shown by
chi-square and spearman’s correlation significant at p<0.05. Most caregivers had a primary
level of education, 154(60.2%), and only seven (2.7%) had tertiary training. About
150(58.6%) were unemployed, and the majority, 142(55.5%), had an income of Ksh 5000-
10,000. About 207(80.9%) were married while 46(16.0%) were single. The prevalence of
exclusive breastfeeding was 180 (70.3%), with 181(70.7%) initiating breasting within an
hour after birth. About 35(13.7%) introduced other foods before age six. Minimum dietary
diversity was at 3.8% for ages 6-8 months, 4.9% for 9-11 months, 8.2% for ages 12-17
months, and 9.2% among ages 18-23 months, and minimum meal frequency was three
times a day. Prevalence of Wasting was at 35.6%, stunting (41.6%), and underweight
(35.2%). The number of household members and household income are significantly
associated with wasting (p<0.05). IYCF practices indicated a significant association with
wasting (p<0.05). Stunting also showed a significant link between household members
showed a significant association with stunting (p<0.05). In addition, household head,
number of people in the household, and occupation of the household head showed a
significant statistical association with underweight (p<0.05). Low uptake of optimal
children's feeding practices contributes to their poor health and Nutritional status. The
findings provide evidence of the importance of ensuring adequate feeding practices among
Infants and young children to alleviate malnutrition. Thus, Baringo County and the
National Government Ministry of Health in Kenya should enhance programs to improve
nutrition education to advance maternal and child health.
Description
A Research Thesis Submitted In Partial Fulfilment of Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science (Food, Nutrition and Dietetics) in the School of Health Sciences of Kenyatta University April 2024
Supervisor;
1. Joseph Kobia
2.. Peter Chege