Skip to main content
NUTRITION 2025 Main banner

Climate, Food Systems, Diet, Nutrition and Health (Poster Session)

(P23-013-25) Early Childhood Development and Nutrition Status of School-Going Children Enrolled in the Food For Education School Feeding Program in Nairobi County, Kenya

Monday, June 2, 2025
12:45 PM - 1:45 PM ET
Location: Poster Board C-15

    Presenting Author(s)

  • WK

    Willy Kiboi, PhD

    Research Fellow
    London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
    Nairobi, Nairobi Area, Kenya

    • Co-Author(s)

  • EB

    Ellen Bradley

    London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom

  • ZB

    Zipporah Bukania, PhD

    Kenya Medical Research Institute-Centre for Public Health Research, Kenya

  • VC

    Vyolah Chuchu

    Kenya Medical Research Institute-Centre for Public Health Research, Kenya

  • LM

    Lucy Magige

    Kenya Medical Research Institute-Centre for Public Health Research, Kenya

  • HM

    Haron Mongare

    Kenya Medical Research Institute-Centre for Public Health Research, Kenya

  • RM

    Richard Mutisya, PhD

    Kenya Medical Research Institute-Centre for Public Health Research, Kenya

  • EO

    Evans Ochieng

    London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom

  • RO

    Rodgers Ochieng

    Kenya Medical Research Institute-Centre for Public Health Research, Kenya

  • EO

    Eric Ohuma, PhD

    Professor
    London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
    london, England, United Kingdom

  • SO

    Stephen Onteri

    Kenya Medical Research Institute-Centre for Public Health Research, Kenya

  • SS

    Sara Strout

    London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom

  • VW

    Violet Wanjihia

    Kenya Medical Research Institute-Centre for Public Health Research, Kenya

Disclosure(s):
Willy Kiboi, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Eric Ohuma, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: To determine early childhood development and nutrition status of children attending early childhood development centres (4-6 years) and benefiting from the Food For Education (F4E) school feeding program in three sub-counties of Nairobi County, Kenya.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 579 children in early childhood development centres (ECD) who were enrolled in the F4E school feeding program across three sub-counties in Nairobi County, Kenya. The nutritional status of the children was assessed using anthropometric measurements, including weight-for-age, height-for-age, and weight-for-height z-scores, which were classified according to WHO child growth standards. Additionally, early childhood development was evaluated using a standardised Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI). The ECDI tool assessed the children's development across various domains, including literacy and numeracy, physical development, learning, and social-emotional skills.

Results: Of the 579 children, 52% were male. The percentage of children who were developmentally on track in each domain were: 56% for literacy-numeracy, 71% physical development, 52% social-emotional development, and 53% for learning. The overall ECDI which reflects the number of children meeting developmental milestones across all four domains, was 28%. With regards to nutrition status, stunting was observed in 5.4% of the children, wasting in 3%, and underweight in 7%. No significant associations were observed between early developmental domains and nutritional status except for social-emotional domain which was significantly associated with wasting (p-value = 0.040).

Conclusions: More than three-quarters of children attending ECD centres were not developmentally on track highlighting an at-risk group in terms of learning and development.

Funding Sources: Children Investment Fund Foundation and ELMA Philanthropies