At least 25 per cent of children under the age of five in Kajiado County suffer from acute malnutrition.
Poor feeding practices and lack of adherence to exclusive breastfeeding and low uptake of vitamin A supplements have been cited as the main causes of the high levels of malnutrition.
According to Ruth Nasinkoi County Nutrition Coordinator, children in rural areas are the most affected with a majority exhibiting stunted growth due to poor diet.
Speaking at Enkorika Health Center during an event dubbed ‘Malezi Bora’ that focuses on promoting nutrition in rural areas, Nasinkoi noted that malnutrition lowers the quality of life of the child as they experience physical and mental developmental growth setbacks.
Nasinkoi said healthy children have high immunity thus good growth and development translating in low demand for health services.
She added that impaired growth in children if not corrected early will result in poor cognition and education of the child.
“Malnutrition affects the quality of life of a child. Children who are stunted below the age of five are more likely to underperform in school while those with good nutrition have high IQ, hence, good performance in school. There is also reduced absenteeism as children are healthy,” she said.
The coordinator further revealed that good nutrition translates to stronger immune systems, improved infant, child and maternal health, safer pregnancy and childbirth, and lower risk of non-communicable diseases.
Undernourished children have a higher risk of illness and death often associated with incidences of diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, pneumonia, malaria and anaemia.
Ruth Parsimei, Kajiado Central Sub-County Medical Officer reiterated that nutrition is a critical part of health and development of a child
She outlined the importance of adhering to a balanced diet adding that the 10 food groups should be added a child’s diet to ensure their physical and mental well-being.The food groups which are categorized according to their health benefits are; grains and grain products, legumes and pulses, nuts and seeds, dairy or milk products, eggs, fish and poultry meat, orange, yellow fruits and vegetables, dark green leafy vegetables.
“Malnutrition is caused by poor diet, young children especially in rural areas are fed with ugali,milk and porridge only. For a child to be healthy a well-balanced diet should be strictly adhered to.” Parsimei said.
During the Malezi Bora event, the residents underwent free medical checkups and were trained on good diet practices.
Traditional birth attendants were also recognized for their work in assisting expectant mothers in rural areas.
The birth attendants who were issued with certificates underwent training on how to take care of pregnant women at home until their due date nears after which they are required to escort them to hospitals to give birth.
By Rop Janet
