INFLUENCE OF FEEDING PRACTICES ON NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS IN LUANDA SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

According to Kenya’s Nutrition Profile, as of 2022, from the under-five population of 6.3 million, there are nearly 1.2 million children who are suffering from chronic malnutrition and 631,196 children are underweight. Kenyan rural county governments have made little effort to develop school feeding programs for children in pre-schools in other areas other than the arid and semi-arid areas. Objective To determine the influence of feeding practices on nutritional status of pre-school children in schools in Luanda Sub-County, Kenya. Methodology This study employed the cross-sectional study design. Stratified random sampling was used to select a sample population of 40 households. The sample included children aged 6 years and below attending preschools whose guardians consented in their involvement in the research. The data collection tools used included questionnaires, FFQs, 24-hour dietary recall, and anthropometric measures: weight, height and MUAC. Nutri survey software was used to analyze nutrition data collected using the 24-hour recall. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Results and discussion The study showed that the prevalence of malnutrition among preschool children was 25%. 100% of the children did not meet the RDA for Vitamin A, folate, and calcium. From the participants, 37.5% did not meet their protein RDA, 82.5% did not meet their carbohydrate RDA and 95% did not meet their fiber RDA. 27.5% of the households had not consumed more than two fruit types in the past month. Compromised nutritional status was strongly associated with type of school, mother’s education level, presence of school-feeding programs and family size. A possible association was determined between nutritional status and treatment of drinking water and employment of mothers. Conclusion It is important that the feeding practices at home and at school be carefully considered to ensure adequacy in the promotion of the nutritional status of preschool children. Recommendation Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health to design more effective and efficient school feeding programs that will be affordable for public schools.