Original Research Article
Year: 2023 | Month: August | Volume: 13 | Issue: 8 | Pages: 238-244
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20230833
Feeding Practices and Morbidity of Adolescent Street Children in Nairobi City, Kenya: A Cross Sectional Analytic Study
Jomo Sofia Machocho1, Elizabeth Nafula Kuria2, Judith Kimiywe3
1,2,3Department of Food Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
Corresponding Author: Sofia Machocho Jomo
ABSTRACT
Regardless of the fact that there are many street children in the streets of low- and middle-income countries, limited research has been done to determine their feeding practices and morbidity, yet street inhabitants live in poor conditions that may prevent them from having acceptable feeding practices, and that increase their risk of contracting diseases. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the feeding practices and morbidity of adolescent street children in Nairobi City, Kenya. An analytic cross-sectional study was conducted on 248 adolescent street children who were sampled through cluster sampling. Interviewer-administered questionnaires, which included the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), and focus group discussions were used to collect data. Quantitative data was analysed using the 25th version of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software, and qualitative data was analysed using NVivo 1.0 software. A majority (40.3%) of the study participants had two meals per day. The diet of the participants was not diverse. All the respondents were severely food insecure. Majority (75.8%) of the respondents had been sick in the past one month before the data collection. Over half (54.8%) of the respondents had experienced gastrointestinal (GIT) infection (abdominal pain/constipation/diarrhea/vomiting). Other common diseases were fatigue, fever, and cough.
Key words: Feeding Practices, Morbidity, Adolescent Street Children