Dietary diversity of the school feeding program and factors influencing the school feeding program in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya : a perspective of school principals/teachers in charge
Year: 2016
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Introduction:The majority of the world's hungry people are found in developing countries with as many as 66 million children attending classes hungry.Hungry children are undernourished, fall ill more often, attend class less frequently, have poor concentration in class and their learning ability (cognitive development) is greatly impeded.Initiating the school feeding programs (SFP) contributes towards providing safety nets, educational and nutritional benefits for children in poverty stricken areas.In addressing the nutritional well-being of children, provision of a wide variety of diet ensures intake of essential nutrients.The aim of this study was to determine the dietary diversity of the SFP, sponsored by Feed the Children (FTC), and to assess the factors (from the perspective of school principals/teachers in charge) that influence the SFP in urban slums of Nairobi, Kenya.Methods: A total of 78 principals/teachers in charge of the SFP were interviewed in this cross sectional descriptive study.An evaluation questionnaire was used during the interview to assess factors such as the structure and management of the program, children's satisfaction with daily portion of food, level of community involvement, availability of infrastructure and related items, and dietary diversity of the SFP basket.Concurrently with the interviews, a research assistant went round the school filling an observation checklist probing on the processes of SFP implementation in the schools.Results: There was a high participation of over 95% of the children enrolled in the SFP.The SFP obtained a mean dietary diversity score of 3.97.There was significant differences between formal and non-formal schools in dietary diversity score (p=0.035).The average duration of cooking time for the SFP meals was 12 hours (SD 6.5) with significant differences between formal and non-formal schools (p=0.0025).
Author: Solomon Mosomi Ogachi
Language: English
Subfield: Nutrition and Dietetics
Field: Nursing
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2811103643