Child malnutrition is one of the most serious problems threatening people’s lives in Uganda. This study assesses the factors associated with patterns of child nutritional outcomes in Uganda, as indicated by Z-scores for growth of children less than five years of age.
Taking the Z-scores as dependent variables, a series of OLS regressions are applied to identify factors associated with child Z-scores. Based on the relationships with the child and their source, explanatory variables are categorized into four groups: (A) DHS child, (B) DHS mother, (C) DHS father and household, and (D) UNHS. To investigate the robustness of relative effects played by each group of variables on HAZ and WHZ, regressions are run using each block of variables and all variables together, as a check of robustness. In addition, to examine results for specific sub-groups of the population, separate regressions are run for the sample of urban children, children from IDP camps, and children from rural areas but not IDP camps.
The OLS estimates suggest that, among all the explanatory variables considered, child and mother variables play the most important role in explaining a child’s nutritional status. Household wealth and dependency ratio are also significantly correlated with child Z-scores. The explanatory power of UNHS variables nested at the district level is mixed. Percentage of households using purchased inputs is positive correlated with child Z-scores. Factors associated with child malnutrition appear to differ across sub-regions. This underscores important spatial and idiosyncratic features of child malnutrition in Uganda, and limits our ability to draw general conclusions and policy recommendations regarding child health.
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