the effect of meeting ndp iii and sdg targets for water and sanitation on child malnutrition in uganda

Description

Child malnutrition remains a critical concern in Uganda. Almost 3 in 10 children between 6 to 59 months are stunted, four percent are wasted, and 11 percent are underweight (UBOS & ICF International, 2018). While most districts in the country experience high child malnutrition, there is a divide between urban and rural areas and between northern and southern districts. Children in rural areas and the northern part of Uganda experience more malnutrition when compared to children who reside in urban areas or the southern part of the country (World Food Programme, 2019). At a regional level, Tooro region has the highest percentage (40.6%) of stunted children, closely followed by Bugisu region (36%) and Karamoja region (35.2%) as of 2016. Concerning wasting children, the West-Nile region has the highest percentage, with 10.4%, closely followed by the Karamoja region, with 10%. Finally, Karamoja region has the highest percentage of underweight children (25.8%), closely followed by West-Nile ‘(16.7%) and Acholi with 15.4%.