The objective of this study was to analyze the nutritional and morbidity patterns of children aged 7-24 months in relationship to household socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Structured questionnaires and repeated 24-hour recalls were used to collect data. Maternal education and age influenced timing of complementary foods, dietary diversity score, meal frequency, and diarrhea incidences (p < .05). This resulted in 53%, 59%, 48%, 43%, and 22% of the study children having inadequate intake of energy, protein, vitamin A, iron, and zinc, respectively. Households need to be empowered to utilize available resources for improving nutrient intake and health among their children.

Background: Several national reports have indicated poor nutritional status among children from Western Uganda where millet porridge is a predominant complementary food. However, little is known about the nutritional status of 7-36 months old children from millet consuming communities of Western Uganda. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Bujenje County of Masindi District. A total of 636 children from 23 villages within Bwijanga and Budongo sub counties were randomly selected. Anthropometric measurements of children were taken. Data on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of children's households, their dietary practices and morbidity patterns was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. A statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 and Emergency Nutritional Assessment (ENA) Software Version 2010 were used for analysing data. The relationship between demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of households and children's nutritional status was determined using Chi-square tests. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to determine the association between children's nutritional status and the amount of millet porridge consumed. A p-value of < 0.05 indicated statistical significance. Results: A proportion of 30.5% children were stunted, 11.6% underweight and 7.4% wasted. Underweight and wasting were significantly high in Budongo sub county at p = 0.044 and p = 0.005 respectively. Stunting and underweight were highest between 12 and 23 months at p = 0.005 and 0.020 respectively. Although millet porridges formed the bulk of children's meals, they could only cater for < 60% of the recommended daily nutrient intake. Children with diarrhoea were 1.4 and 2 times likely to become stunted and underweight at p = 0.025 and 0.007 respectively. Feeding practices for children with diarrhoea were contrary to World Health Organisation's recommendations in more than 50% of the studied children. There was a significant association between Height-forAge Z scores, Weight-for-Height Z scores and the amount of millet porridge consumed by children (r = − 0.20, p < 0.001 and r = 0.14, p < 0.001 respectively). Conclusions: Results showed slightly higher percentages of stunted, underweight and wasted children compared to national figures. This was attributed to high incidences of diarrhoea and inadequate feeding practices especially for children 12-36 months old.

There is scarcity of information about the safety of water in Banda slum of Kampala, Uganda and yet reports indicate outbreaks of infectious diseases such as typhoid fever and cholera. The aim of this study was to determine the risk of exposure to waterborne infections by Banda residents due to faecal contamination of water sources. Four hundred respondents were sampled and interviewed on the methods of water collection, treatment and storage. Water samples were collected with sterile glass bottles in duplicate from the dug well, protected spring and piped water system in December 2018 on two different consecutive days. They were transported to the laboratory for total and faecal coliform count analysis within 2 h using a lightproof-insulated box containing ice-packs. The mean Escherichia coli count for the dug well was 43 ± 18 c.f.u/mL. The protected spring had no detectable E. coli, but its total plate count level was 76 ± 1.4 c.f.u/mL. Only 46% of the respondents treated their drinking water using boiling and filtering methods. Poor sanitation and hygiene practices were observed. The total and faecal coliform counts of water sources were unsatisfactory making Banda residents highly at risk of infectious diseases, given the small number of residents that treated water.

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