The association between utilization of preventive child health services and the nutritional status of children under three years in Kibera, a spontaneous urban settlehent of Nairobi, Kenya
Abstract
Between February and May 1989 a cross-sectional survey
was conducted to assess the coverage and accessibility
of the available preventive child health services in a
spontaneous settlement of Nairobi. In particular, the
survey investigated whether there was any association
between nutritional status of children under three
years and their utilization of preventive child health
services. The study took place in Kibera, a peri-urban
area of Nairobi and a sample of 478 children was surveyed.
The results showed that 22 % of the study children were
malnourished (~ 80 % Weight for Age) and there was an
increasing trend of malnourishmerit from the age of six
months until eighteen months. Eighteen per cent of the
~tudy children were found to be stunted and five per
cent wasted.
viii
The majority of the study children (79 %) had a Child
Health Card at the time of investigation.
The majority of the study children (71 %) were fully
immunized. This lS a high coverage compared to the
national coverage rate of 51 % (UNICEF, 1989)
Well nourished and moderately malnourished children had
a better immunization status than severely malnourished
children.
Malnourished children in this study also participated
less frequently in the growth monitoring programme than
well nourished children. The difference in utilization
of growth monitoring services was found to be due ,in
part, to age. Utilization of growth monitoring services
decreased sharply with age, while the nutritional
status of children also deteriorated with age.
With increasing age of the child the utilization of
preventive child health services decreased.
Makina children visited the Child Welfare Clinic an
average of eight times in their first year of life,
three times in their second year of life and less than
once per year thereafter.
Younger mothers made more use of preventive child
health services than older mothers.
ix
The researcher analysed whether the positive association
between nutritional status of children under
three years and their utilization of preventive child
health services could be due to income or maternal
care. Although household income was associated with the
nutritional status of children under three years, there
was no relationship between household income and utilization
of preventive child health services. With
respect to maternal care, the two variables; employment
of the mother and caretaker of the child were neither
associated with the nutritional status of the child nor
with their utilization of preventive child health services.
In contrast the educational level attained by
the mother (also a variable of maternal care) was
positively associated with the immunization status of
the child.
Citation
Olofsen, R.S(1990). The association between utilization of preventive child health services and the nutritional status of children under three years in Kibera, a spontaneous urban settlehent of Nairobi, KenyaSponsorhip
University of NairobiPublisher
Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Technology, University of Nairobi
Description
Msc - Thesis