Nutritional Security of Pre-school Children from Irrigators and Non-irrigators Households in Turkana County, Kenya

Authors

  • Jane N. Situma Department of Nutritional Sciences, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology P.O. Box 190-50100 Kakamega, Kenya
  • Jacob W. Wakhungu Department of Disaster Management and Sustainable Development, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. P.O. Box 190-50100 Kakamega, Kenya
  • Edward M. Neyole Department of Disaster Preparedness Engineering and Management, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology P.O. Box 190-50100 Kakamega, Kenya

Keywords:

Nutrition security, Irrigators, Nutrition status, households, pre-school, agriculture.

Abstract

Turkana County is a region of soils of high agricultural potential but aridity hinders its exploitation. It is characterized by scarce, erratic rainfall patterns. Food security remains a challenge in Turkana County despite its potential. Malnutrition resulting from food insecurity is the major concern in Turkana County. Turkana County prevalence of global acute malnutrition has remained high above the World Health Organization (WHO) threshold that is 27.3%. The study was guided by sustainable development goals, the goal number two which talks about end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable development and goal number three which talks about ensuring healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Malnutrition has been and continues to be responsible for over 60% of child mortality and therefore reduction of malnutrition is one of key ways of reducing child mortality. The current study investigated the contribution of small-scale irrigation interventions on   nutrition status of pre-school children in Turkana County.

Study objectives were; to evaluate nutrition status of pre-school children using anthropometry measurements among households practicing irrigation and those not practicing and establish the relationship. Cross-sectional, comparative and evaluation designs were used. Purposive and cluster sampling was done. Sample size was 420 (210 households practicing irrigation and 210 not practicing). A total of 845 children below 5 years were studied. The nutrition status of the pre-school children was poor across households practicing irrigation and those not practicing irrigation. The Chi square test of independence on the weight for age status for children below five years    gave X2 2, 0.05 = 90.439.  This shows that there was highly significant (p<0.01) association between the weight for age for children below five years and the irrigation status of the household. A test of deviation to analyze weight for age for children below five years across households doing irrigation indicated that there was significant (p<0.05) difference with X2 1, 0.05 = 9.167. The Chi square test of independence on the prevalence of weight for height for children below five years    gave X2 3, 0.05 = 21.798.  This shows that there was significant (p<0.05) association between the weight for height for children below five years and the irrigation status of the household. Non-food strategies may be needed to complement dietary practices to manage the malnutrition situation in Turkana County

References

. UNICEF; ‘Tracking progress on child and maternal nutrition’: a survival and development priority, 1st edition: p38-41.

. Standing Committee on Nutrition; ‘Report on Progress in Nutrition’, 6th edition p8- 38.

. Lentz, C. and Barrett, B. Improving food aid: what reforms would yield the highest payoff? World Development Vol. 36:1152–1172; 2008

. World Health Organization; ‘Strategies for reduction of child mortality’, 2nd edn: p34-36.

. Berti, R., Krasevec, J. and Sian, F. A review of the effectiveness of agriculture interventions in improving nutrition outcomes. Public Health Nutrition Journal 7(5):599–609. 2004.

. Food and Agricultural Organization; ‘Food Security Statistic’. Electronic document, http://www.fao.org/faostat/foodsecurity/countries/en/e.pdf, accessed February 8, 2014.

. Kimiywe, J.; ‘Assessment of food consumption and production in Nairobi peri urban and urban’, 1st edn p32-34.

. Haddad, L., Peòa, C., Nishida, C., Quisumbing, A. and Slack, A. ‘Food Security and Nutrition Implications of Intra-household Bias: A Review of the Literature’. FCND Discussion Paper no. 19, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC. 1996

. Leemhuis-de, E. ‘Nutrition; interaction of food, health and care’. Sector and Theme Policy Documents of Development Cooperation 10, The Hague, the Netherlands; p421. 1995

. Niehof, A. ‘Gendered dynamics of food security’. In No Security Without Food Security – No Food Security without Gender Equality (ed. by Kumar), APRODEV, Brussels, Belgium 2003; p59–67.

. Bindraban, P., Koning, N. and Essers S. ‘Global food security: Initial proposal for a Wageningen vision on food security’. Wageningen University and AB-DLO, Wageningen, the Netherlands. 1999 p453.

. Cook, J., Frank, D., Berkowitz, C., Black, M. et al. Food insecurity is associated with adverse health outcomes among infants and toddlers. Journal of Nutrition 2004; 134: 1432–1438.

. Crespo, A. and Reis, M. ‘Child health, household income and the local public provision of health care in Brazil’. Mimeo publisher, Princeton University 1st Edn 2009; p211-217.

. Lipton, M., Litchfield, J. and Faurès, J. The effects of irrigation on poverty: A framework for analysis; Water Policy, 2003; Vol 5; 413–427.

. Bhattacharya, J., Currie, J. and Haider, S. Poverty, food insecurity and nutritional outcomes in children and adults. Journal of Health Economics 2004; 23 (2): 839–862.

. Alaimo, K. Olson, C. Frongillo, E. and Briefel, R. Food insufficiency, family income and health in US pre-school and school-aged children. American Journal of Public Health 2001 91 (5): 781–786.

. Bronte-Tinkew, J., Zaslow, R., Horowitz A. and McNamara M. ‘Food insecurity works through depression, parenting, and infant feeding to influence overweight and health in toddlers’.

. Case A., Lubotsky D. and Paxson C. (2002). Economic status and health in childhood: the origins of the gradient. American Economic Review 92 (5): 2007; 1308–1334.

. WHO. ‘New growth charts and cut off points’; 2nd Review for growth charts; Geneva and Oxfam Publishing, Oxford 2006; p21-24.

. KNBS. ‘Turkana District population distribution. Kenya National Bureau of statistics’, Nairobi, Kenya. Government of Kenya printers 2010; p711-785

. MoPHS. ‘Turkana 2010 Annual Report. Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation’. Afya House, Nairobi Kenya. Government of Kenya printer; 2010; p158-171.

. KNBS. ‘Kenya National Demographic and health Survey 2008- 09’. Kenya National Bureau of statistics and Ministry of Planning and National Development, Nairobi, Kenya. Government of Kenya printers; 2009; p786-809.

. MoPND. ‘Turkana District Development plan’. Ministry of Planning and National Development. Nairobi Kenya. Government of Kenya Printers; 2010; p110-112.

. MoPHS. ‘Turkana 2011 Annual Report’; Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation. Afya House, Nairobi Kenya. Government of Kenya Printers; 2011; p110-112.

Downloads

Published

2019-06-30

How to Cite

N. Situma, J., W. Wakhungu, J., & M. Neyole, E. (2019). Nutritional Security of Pre-school Children from Irrigators and Non-irrigators Households in Turkana County, Kenya. International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research (IJSBAR), 47(1), 179–188. Retrieved from https://www.gssrr.org/index.php/JournalOfBasicAndApplied/article/view/10053

Issue

Section

Articles