HIV-AIDS and Nutritional/Health Status of Children in Kenya: The Case of Orphans in Nyanza Province

Samson Wasao, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Laura Kiige, University of Nairobi

This paper examines the impact of the HIV-AIDS on the nutritional and health status of HIV-AIDS orphans in Nyanza Province of Kenya. Data was collected on height, weight and sex of orphaned children under five years and three anthropometrical indices computed. These were then expressed as standardized scores and compared with the median indices of similar measures from the international reference population. Preliminary findings show that relatively substantial proportions of the children suffer from effects of severe malnutrition. Younger children between two and four years were the most affected. Stunting significantly affects children who are less than one year of age, implying poor or lack of proper care and feeding practices. Female children are more affected than male children and the proportion of children affected by stunting across the ages is high in comparison to other indices. Malnutrition is clearly a chronic problem in the study area.