Health programme to eliminate malnutrition launched in Nandi

Kapsabet, Thursday, May 11, 2023

KNA by Linet Wafula

Nandi County government has launched a health sensitization programme to mitigate the prevalence of malnutrition among children.

A recent county report indicated that over 900 children below the age of 10 years were suffering from malnutrition due to poor feeding habits of the households in the community.

In a one-month awareness training programme spearheaded by community health workers, the initiative targets to empower parents with the nutritional information to enhance the healthy upbringing of their children.

Speaking at a Kapsabet hotel during the training of various health stakeholders, county nutritional officer Doreen Too said the illnesses and deficiencies recorded among the children were as a result of poor feeding that denied them the essential nutrients for growth and development.

“It’s unfortunate that malnutrition cases still exist in the community with adequate varieties of food and accessible health services. We found that lack of information is a major setback and thus urgent implementation of the health master plan is needed to empower the locals on health living,” she stated.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Nandi recorded 26 percent of the malnutrition prevalence, 3percent above the national average malnutrition cases.

The manifestation of the malnutrition effects including obesity is at 37% and wasted children are 11percent of the children population.

Mrs. Too said that the rampant cases of children’s diseases were attributed to poor feeding habits right from pregnancy and after birth, claiming that some deficiencies were not reversible and have left the children with disabilities and low body immunity against diseases.

“Observing a well-balanced diet for children is vital for healthy growth. But we found that most parents feed their children with foods which have no nutritional value thus inhibiting the utilization of micro-nutrients that are essential for organ development and general normal growth,” she said.

Courtesy; K.N.A