ABSTRACT

Uganda has one of the highest levels of childhood stunting in sub-Saharan Africa. Western Uganda has persistently registered highest levels of childhood malnutrition despite being referred to as “the food basket” of the country. To assess factors contributing to malnutrition, its consequences and prevention among children under five years of age admitted at Kampala International University Teaching Hospital (KIU-TH), a descriptive cross-sectional study design quantitative in nature was used in which 96 respondents were given questionnaires. 55.2% of the respondents agreed that lack of parental knowledge about infantile and childhood diet could contribute to malnutrition among children under five, 71% the respondents strongly agreed that malnutrition among children under five years of age could contribute to and perpetuate poverty due to costs of treatment and 70.8% of the respondents agreed that effective nutrition programs could help scale down prevalence of malnutrition among children under five years. The researcher concluded that the factors contributing to malnutrition among children under five years of age included; lack of parental knowledge about infantile and childhood diet, improper nutrition and dietary practices and infections. The consequences of malnutrition included; increased mortality, anaemia, Poverty and effects on education and intellectual performance of children. Preventive measures of malnutrition identified included; Exclusive breast feeding for the first six month, effective nutrition programs and promoting good hygiene practices