More than 35 percent of children in sub Saharan Africa are suffering from stunted growth. In Uganda, for every 100 children, 33 are stunted. In the South western region, 44 children out of every 100 are stunted and chronically hungry
Stunted growth is defined as impaired growth and development caused by poor nutrition in early life, particularly in the first 1,000 days.
According to the World Health organization, “Children are defined as stunted if their height-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the WHO Child Growth Standards median.
The new study – led by Lora Iannotti of the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, MO – provides further evidence of the growth benefits of eggs, after finding that feeding one egg per day to young children for 6 months may reduce their risk of stunting.
The study was a randomized, controlled trial that involved children aged 6 to 9 months from Equador, South America, where around 23 percent of children under the age of 5 years have stunted growth, and around 6 percent are underweight.
The children were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group was fed one egg every day for 6 months, while the other group was not fed eggs (the controls).
The researchers found that the children who were fed eggs had significantly higher length-for-age and weight-for-age scores than the control group.
Caught short: Why more Ugandans are growing short
Nearly four in every 10 children in southwestern Uganda are stunted- according to 2016 regional forum on the State of the Ugandan Child. The revelation was part of the statistics presented last year by various stakeholders who attended the over 250-delegate forum at Lake View Resort Hotel in Mbarara to discuss the needs of children in adversity.