Dietary Practices and Nutritional Status of Children 0-24 Months Attending Daycare Centres in Naivasha

Abstract

Parents of most young children in Naivasha, leave their children in day care centres while their working on flower farms to earn a living. Poverty and various economic factors limit the quality of nutrition and the amount of food given to these children in the day care centres, resulting in stunted growth and developmental complications. The main objective of the study was to identify the dietary practices and the children’s nutrition status between the age 0-24months attending daycare centers in the Naivasha. This will contribute to the efforts put in place to combat child malnutrition in Kenya. The hypothesis tested the association between the, dietary practices and the nutrition status of the children raised in daycare centers in Naivasha. The study design used was the analytical cross-sectional design. The study participants were one caregiver from each of the five daycare centers, 131 mothers/guardians and 131children 0-24months. The daycare caregivers, the mother/guardian, and their children were randomly selected to participate, while the daycare centers and the study setting were chosen purposefully. The data was collected using the Semi-structured questionnaires through interviewer lead interviews and the ODK. The data analysis software used were statistical R, SPSS, and ENA. The results determined that the dietary diversity score was not met, and 68% of the children met the minimum meal frequency. The Dietary Diversity Score of ten food groups yielded a mean score of 5.0±1.2 (Children 6-23 months). 48% of the children met the minimum acceptable diet. The study revealed that 33% of the children had an intake of iron/iron fortified food 24hrs before the survey. The knowledge score indicated that 67.9% of the mothers/guardians were not knowledgeable. The prevalence of global, moderate, and severe malnutrition was 8%, 7.1%, and 0.9%, respectively. The nutrition status values indicated a significant difference between knowledge and nutrition status (p<0.05). The dietary diversity score obtained from the dietary practices indicated no significance association with the nutrition status indicators. In conclusion, dietary practices among day care caregivers/mothers with children attending the day care centres in Naivasha, affects the nutrition status of the children. The study recommended a further need to improve the dietary intake in Naivasha to reduce the rate of stunting and underweight children among children 0-24months raised in day care centres.