A report by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics(UBOS) has indicated that 26% of Ugandan children between one year and five years are stunted.
Released on Wednesday at Speke Resort Hotel in Munyonyo, the report indicated that the 26% means at least one in four Ugandan children are stunted.
The report also indicated that at 24.4% children between birth and one year follow in terms of stuntedness while 9.7% of children between the same age are underweight.
"The report therefore shows that the prevalence of stunting is higher among children aged 6-59 months compared to those aged 0-59 months," said James Muwonge, the Director methods and research at UBOS.
At 27.2%, the report shows that stunting is highest among the boy child compared to the girls at 21.6% .
In terms of age group, children between one year and three year lead in terms of stuntedness at 32.8% .
The report also indicates that stunting is more in children living in rural areas at 27.4% than it is with their counterparts in urban areas but also shows that more children in urban areas at 4.1% are overweight than their counterparts in rural areas.
Regions
The report shows that Karamoja at 43.9% has the highest number of stunted children, followed by Kigezi at 41.5%, Tooro at 38.7% and Ankole at 31.2%.
The same report also shows that at 32.4%, three in every ten children in Karamoja region are underweight, followed by Tooro at 11.3%, West Nile at 11% and Bukedi at 10.9%.
Commenting about the report, the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, who was represented by the Minister-in-charge of General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister , Justine Kasule Lumumba said these figures show the need for more efforts in terms of nutrition.
"The prevalence of stunting among children under five remains at 26%, with boys disproportionately affected at 29.2% compared to 22.9% for girls. Wasting affects 2.9% of children, while 10.2% are underweight. Alarmingly, anemia affects 30.4% of children under five and 20.7% of non- pregnant women, with regional disparities that demand urgent attention. These figures underscore the urgency of scaling up interventions that target nutrition and health outcomes," she said.
"Despite the challenges, Uganda has made commendable strides. Early initiation of breast feeding has improved significantly with 74% of new born babies being breastfed within the first hour of birth and the proportion of children meeting the minimum meal frequency has increased slightly to 63.9%."
Speaking at the same function, the Chief of Child Survival and Development section at UNICEF Uganda , Dr. Yaron Wolman said in Uganda, million of parents and families are struggling to provide nutritious and diverse foods that young children need to reach their full potential.
"Growing inequities, rising food prices, the overabundance of unhealthy foods promoted by the food industry, harmful food marketing strategies, and poor child feeding practices, all result in millions of children being exposed to food poverty," Dr.Yaron said.
" Child food poverty harms all children, but it is particularly damaging in early childhood when insufficient dietary intake of essential nutrients can cause the greatest harm to child survival, physical growth, and cognitive development, trapping children and their families in a cycle of poverty and deprivation."
He said , in pursuit of accelerating effective nutrition investments, stakeholders must recognize the interconnectedness of various sectors - health, agriculture, water, education, gender and beyond.
"Addressing malnutrition demands a holistic approach that encompasses not only food security but also access to healthcare, education, sanitation, and social protection. Moreover, we cannot overlook the importance of social behavioural norms, culture, tradition, and socio-economic factors in shaping dietary habits and nutritional outcomes."
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The UNICEF officials said any policy framework thought of, must be sensitive to these contextual nuances and strive for inclusivity and cultural relevance.
"To address child malnutrition, the government and its development partners must invest more in interventions to improve children's access to diverse and nutritious diets and end malnutrition and undernutrition in all its forms. Collaboration and partnerships are paramount in this endeavour."
" By fostering synergies and leveraging collective expertise, we can amplify our impact and accelerate progress towards our shared goal of optimal nutrition for all."
