Journal of Pediatric Care

The double burden of malnutrition in refuge settlements

Joint Event on 25^th World Pediatrics Conference & 6^th International Conference on Pediatric Critical Care and Emergency Medicine
October 18- 20, 2018 Warsaw, Poland

Rebecca Nerima

Vitamin Angels Uganda

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Pediatr Care

DOI: 10.21767/2471-805X-C4-015

Abstract

A growing number of refugee camps in Uganda as a result of war in Southern Sudan are facing a double burden of malnutrition, that is, the persistence of under-nutrition, along with a rapid rise of over-nutrition and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and coronary heart disease. This double burden of malnutrition has resulted from various factors including: a marked transition in dietary patterns over recent years (e.g. shifts to energy dense diets high in saturated fat, sugar, and refined foods, and away from plant-based diets); inadequate access to healthy food choices; declining levels of physical activity; and inadequate access to health care services as a result of displacement and broader social determinants. In refuge settlements and host communities in Uganda, in addition to the high levels of under-nutrition, substantial levels of overweight/obesity have also been observed. At the national level, 35% of children of are stunted. The prevalence is even higher in host communities where 40% of children screened are stunted. Many low- and refuge settlements and host communities are undergoing a nutrition transition associated with rapid social and economic transitions. We explore the coexistence of over and under-nutrition at the neighborhood and household level, in a refuge settlement setting in Uganda.

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