The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey report released recently has revealed worrying trends in the health of young children in Nakuru county, despite the county being identified as an agriculturally rich county.

Among other highlights, the survey shows that nineteen out of every 100 children in Nakuru are stunted, while three out of every 100 children of the same age are wasted.

The report established that nine out of 100 children aged under five years in the devolved unit were underweight, while four out of 100 in a similar age bracket were obese.

The findings underline the challenge of inadequate access to a healthy and balanced diet facing many households.

Being overweight or obese is linked to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases such as type II diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers.

Stunting is defined as low height-for-age and is measured by comparing the height of a child against the international benchmark for a child of the same age.

It is caused by a poor diet in a child’s first 1,000 days of life and has severe, irreversible consequences for physical health and cognitive functioning, experts say.

Experts say the first few years of life, from conception onward, are critical for brain development.
The KNBS report shows stunting reduces with increasing wealth. It also says the malaise has decreased nationally, from 40 per cent in 1993 to 18 per cent.

The report says 22 per cent of children born to mothers with no education are stunted, as compared with nine per cent of children born to mothers with post-secondary education.

According to the survey, seventeen per cent of girls in Nakuru aged between 15 and 19 have ever been pregnant. The figure is higher than the national average, which indicates that 15 per cent teenage girls have ever been pregnant.