Abstract

Under-nutrition is a major challenge facing children below the age of five years from middle-class
households. Under-nutrition is a direct representation of poverty. Individuals from poor households
are predisposed to poor living conditions that may result in diseases and poor health outcomes. This
study was designed to investigate the factors contributing to under-nutrition in children below five
years in the Bushenyi district. The study was a cross-sectional study design. The findings showed
that the overall prevalence of under-nutrition was 11.64%, and underweight, wasting, and stunting
were 10.76%, 4.99%, and 19.16%, respectively. The prevalence of stunting in the present study was
19.16%, which means that one in five children in the Buramba ward was stunted due to chronic
under-nutrition. The etiology of under-nutrition in Buramba ward, Bushenyi municipality, is
multifaceted and interconnected. The nutritional status of children under five years is determined
by socioeconomic, cultural, household, maternal, and child-level factors. The effect of
socioeconomic factors on underweight, wasting, and stunting is exhibited independently and
mediated through maternal and child-level factors. It is logical to conclude that empowering women
as well as improving the socioeconomic status of households may contribute significantly to
reducing morbidity and mortality from undernutrition. Although our study included only children
under five years of age, our findings can be considered to reflect the anthropometric status for the
population in Buramba ward in general, since the status of children under five can be considered a
good gauge for population-based malnutrition. Therefore, awareness creation on complementary
feeding practices and timely initiation at 6 months should be strengthened in the community.
Nutritional interventions by the government and Ministry of Health to fight childhood
undernutrition should take into consideration policies or strategies that would empower women and
address socioeconomic inequalities at the community leve