Nutrition: A path way to reducing maternal and child mortality that must be strengthened

Abstract

Uganda faces various nutrition challenges. Today 29% of Uganda’s children aged 6-59 months are stunted (short for their age), 4% are wasted (thin for their height), 11% are under weight (low weight for their age) and another 4% over weight (high weight for their age), according to the 2016 Uganda Demographic Health Survey. Adequate nutrition is a prerequisite for human development and socio-economic wellbeing. Optimal maternal nutrition is an important contributor to the survival of both the mother and child, and promotes women's overall health, productivity, and well-being.This policy brief highlights the progress made by the health sector in addressing malnutrition, identifies the gaps and what needs to be done to overcome them. The analysis reviews available literature on nutrition and government policy documents such as the second National Development plan.