Publications

Undernutrition can severely impact a child's health and development, leading to growth problems, increasedsusceptibility to diseases, and even death. In developing countries, it is estimated that 60% of child deaths underthe age of 5 are linked to malnutrition. This study aimed to identify the factors contributing to undernutrition inchildren under 5 years of age in Buramba village, Ishaka division, Bushenyi district. The research followed adescriptive cross-sectional design, employing quantitative methods for data collection. A total of 381 participants,including mothers and children under five years old, were involved in the study. Statistical analysis was conductedusing the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. The findings revealed that a significantnumber of children in Buramba village suffered from undernutrition, with 10.76% being underweight, 4.99%wasted, and 19.16% stunted. Several factors were associated with an increased risk of undernutrition among thesechildren, including the mother's parity, marital status, place of delivery, and lack of antenatal care (ANC) visits.Additionally, undernutrition was more prevalent among children of mothers with limited education, those fromvarious occupational backgrounds, those with mothers practicing traditional worship or Islam, and those withlower family incomes. The study highlights the urgent need for nutritional education programs targeted atmothers to improve the nutritional status of vulnerable infants and combat malnutrition. These programs shouldbe implemented with rigorous monitoring and evaluation to ensure their effectiveness in addressing this criticalissue.