Prevalence and factors associated with inadequate dietary diversity among children with cerebral palsy at Katalemwa Cheshire Home for Rehabilitation Services, Uganda

Abstract

Cerebral palsy (CP) poses a significant challenge to the development of motor control and oral motor function in children, which leads to inadequate dietary diversity. Inadequate dietary diversity among children with CP causes malnutrition, and despite global efforts to address malnutrition, intervention strategies often overlook children with CP. This research determined the prevalence of inadequate dietary diversity among children with CP and identified its associated factors. Methods The Socio-Ecological model was used to explore the factors influencing dietary diversity and the study was conducted at Katalemwa Cheshire Home for Rehabilitation Services in Uganda. A cross-sectional study design was used; quantitative data were collected from 213 caregivers of children between 2 to 12 years. The study determined the prevalence of inadequate dietary diversity, and the factors associated with it. Descriptive statistics, simple and multivariate logistic regressions were used to determine the prevalence of inadequate dietary diversity and its associated factors. Results The prevalence of inadequate dietary diversity was 64.8%. The prevalence was higher among females (67.4%) than males (62.8%), and among children above 5 years (72.1%) than those below (62.9%). Factors that were associated with inadequate dietary diversity were child being enrolled in school (AOR=0.2, CI=0.1-0.5, P=0.001), household food security (AOR=0.1, CI=0.1-0.3, P=0.000), and urban residence (AOR=0.4, CI=0.2-0.9, P=0.028). Conclusion Inadequate dietary diversity is highly prevalent among children attending KCH and it’s associated with household food insecurity, social support system in schools that encourage healthy feeding and limited financial resources and access to nutritious foods in rural residence