Abstract

Globally there are 104 million children under five years of age with underweight and 171 million stunted. At the
same time, it was found that about 43 million children under five were overweight or obese. About 90% of stunted
children live in 36 developing countries including Uganda and children under two years of age are the most affected
by undernutrition. Malnutrition is usually indicated by growth failure and contributes to 3.5-5 million annual deaths
among under-five children. The study generally aimed at analysing the nutritional status and associated socioeconomic
factors among children aged below 5 years attending the ART clinic at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital
(HRRH). Specifically, the study was to determine how HIV increases the risk of undernutrition in children infected
with HIV; determine the prevalence of malnutrition among HIV-positive children below 5 years, and also determine
the socio-economic factors associated with malnutrition among HIV-positive children below 5 years of age. A crosssectional
and descriptive design was used in the study. The sample population was attained by simple random
sampling with a sample size of 210 respondents being targeted. The study found that malnutrition is one of the
major challenges affecting under-five children in districts who attend treatment in the HRRH ART clinic. The
common form of malnutrition included stunting, wasting and underweight. Results from the analysis confirm that
the age of a child and maternal occupation was one of the most significant determinants of malnutrition. The study,
therefore, underscores the age groups prone to malnutrition challenges as well as the particular occupations among
women that could pose a risk of malnutrition to under-five children. This then gives a focus to policymakers in the
designing of strategies aimed at combating malnutrition among children below five years attending ART clinics.