Milk Consumption Patterns and Nutritional Status of Children (24-59 Months) from Dairy and Non-Dairy Households in Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

Milk is a rich source of proteins and contains all the essential amino acids and other nutrients. However, only 13% of children below five years in Kenya consume milk and milk products. This study aimed at determining the milk consumption patterns and nutritional status of children aged 24-59 months from smallholder dairy households (DHs) and non-dairy households (NDHs) from peri-urban (Bahati) and rural (Olenguruone) areas in Nakuru County, Kenya. A cross-sectional survey was conducted targeting 216 randomly selected households with primary caregivers and children (24-59 months). Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data on demographic characteristics of the study population, children’s dietary intake, dietary diversity, milk consumption patterns and nutritional status. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted to complement the data collected from questionnaires. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 and Statistics and Data (STATA) version 12 softwares. Themes were computed from the FGD notes and used to corroborate the quantitative data. The prevalence of milk consumption among children from DHs and NDHs in peri-urban area was 57.4% and 40.3% whereas in rural area it was 80.3% and 72.2% respectively. However, there were no significant differences between the proportion of children who consumed milk. The amount of milk consumed by children from DHs in rural area was significantly (P=0.002) higher (338.3±245.7 mls) compared to that of children from NDHs (207.7±109.7 mls). On the contrary, children from NDHs (235.0±69.7 mls) in peri-urban area consumed more milk than those from DHs (195.1±97.0 mls) though there was no significant difference. These amounts of milk were low compared to the WHO minimum recommended intakes of 500mls per day. Multivariate analysis indicated that: children from the peri-urban area were likely to be underweight (P=0.003), stunted (P=0.006) and wasted (P=0.006) compared to those from the rural area; younger caregivers were likely to have underweight (P=0.040) children and caregivers who were single likely to have stunted (P=0.019) children. Findings from the FGDs showed that milk was considered as an important component in the diets of young children. In conclusion, the study indicated that although children in both DHs and NDHs consumed milk, the actual amounts consumed did not meet the minimum recommended amounts of 500mls per day. Therefore, integrated interventions including nutrition education and behaviour change communication are needed to promote milk consumption in children so as to contribute to their nutrient intake.