Background: Anaemia is a global public health problem affecting children from both industrialised and developing countries with major consequences for health, social and economic development. Although the burden of anaemia is high among refugee children due to their living conditions, its determinants are not yet clearly identified and documented in Ethiopia. Objective: To assess the magnitude and contributing factors of anaemia among refugee preschool children of the Kebribeyah refugee camp. Methodology: A cross-sectional study with an analytic component was conducted in the Kebribeyah refugee camp during March 2010. A total of 399 refugee children aged between 6 and 59 months were randomly selected and assessed for anaemia status using HemoCue® devices. Results: The prevalence of anaemia was 52.4%. Most of the anaemic children, 36.6%, were classified as having moderate (Hb 7-9.9 gm/dL), followed by severe, 10.5%, (Hb < 7 gm/dL) while the remaining 5.3% had mild anaemia (Hb 10-10.9 gm/dL). The age of the child, paternal educational level, number of children younger than five years of age in the household, sharing/selling part of ration, inadequacy of ration stock, presence of diarrhoea, personal hygiene of the child, stunting and underweight were significantly associated with anaemia. Conclusion:The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that anaemia is a severe public health problem among young refugee children and to document its major predisposing factors. In the Kebribeyah refugee camp, these included inadequate food rations, insufficient micronutrient composition, lack of provision of non-food items, selling and sharing of food rations, poor environmental sanitation, poor housing conditions, lack of nutrition/health education and disease (diarrhoea). A comprehensive nutrition service together with a holistic public health-focused approach to empower refugees to prevent the onset of anaemia by engaging in homestead small-scale food production for income generation and improving the integration and collaboration between beneficiaries, food donors and humanitarian aid organisations would be crucial in addressing the consequences of anaemia in the Kebribeyah refugee camp.

Background: Diabetes type 2 has become a serious global health threat due to its increasing prevalence particularly among African countries. Numerous scientific evidence points out on the importance of an individual’s dietary practices and nutritional status in its prevention and management. The objective of the study was to identify the predictors of dietary practices and nutritional status among diabetes type 2 patients.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study and a total of 153 study subjects were recruited. A pretested researcher administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data was analyzed using both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression.Results: The study established significant associations (p<0.05, at 95% C.I) between participants’ education level (AOR=4.72), occupation (AOR=2.41), monthly income (AOR=6.02) and level of dietary knowledge (AOR=2.33) and their dietary practices. Further, there was a significant association between nutritional status and education level (AOR=1.26), monthly income (AOR=1.72), level of dietary knowledge (AOR=1.11) and dietary diversity (AOR=1.62). Majority of the participants were obese (51%).Conclusions: Majority of the participants were obese. Dietary knowledge, education level, occupation, monthly income and dietary practices were the factors associated with the patients’ dietary practices and nutritional status. Up-scaling of interventions targeting these variables is thus crucial. Further, reinforcing the need for healthy dietary practices and optimal nutritional status is critical in the prevention and management of diabetes.

There has been a tendency for pastoral households of northern Kenya to fall into and remain permanently trapped in poverty, while a few households have managed to escape poverty under certain circumstances. This study looks at how poverty levels among households in pastoral Counties of Turkana and Mandera have changed over the last twenty years. A combination of multi-stage and purposeful sampling techniques was used to sample 310 and 354 households in Mandera and Turkana Counties respectively. The household questionnaire collected data on household assets, income and expenditure. The 'stages of progress' method was used to categorise the sample households into various wealth strata, and also establish how households' wealth status changed between 1993 and 2013. The study established that 71 per cent and 58 per cent of the households in Turkana and Mandera respectively could be classified as poor in 2013. Loss of livestock through drought, diseases and raids was the main reason for increased pastoral poverty. Pastoral households escaped poverty through diversification, receipt of remittances and employment. Agro-pastoral households were relatively better off compared to both pastoral and off-farm households. Drought management could be the main intervention to prevent pastoral households from falling into poverty, whereas diversification and education are the most important strategies that may help pull these pastoral households out of poverty.

As a general rule, food security is built on three pillars which are Availability, Accessibility and utilization. The ability to ensure adequate food security hinges on the ability to identify vulnerable households. The degree of vulnerability of an individual, household or group of persons is determined by their exposure to the risk factors and their ability to cope with or withstand stressful situations. This study was a component of a project whose aim was to transfer technology and scale up water harvesting and greenhouse farming in the area with one of its objectives to establish the levels of household food insecurity. Using a proportionate sample of 381 households two major tools were used to collect data. These were a structured interview schedule which was used to collect demographic information and a modified Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) was used to collect information on household food insecurity. In the study it was established that 60.3 percent of the households were getting their food mainly from the farms. Only 39.4 percent relied on the market as their main source of food and 0.3 depended on donations. The households in Kitui had a HFIAS score of 6.86 and falling in the class of severely food insecure with hunger.