Effectiveness of Kuzamura Ubuzima Nutrition Support Program for Hospitalized Children in Butare University Teaching Hospital, Rwanda
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t5325Abstract
Research had shown that malnourished children are more likely to be hospitalized regularly, either because they presented with associated complications of undernutrition or because they are diagnosed as malnourished upon arrival at the hospital. Thus, this paper involved a prospective cohort design to assess the impact of the Kuzamura Ubuzima (KU) nutrition support program on the nutritional status of hospitalized children and the length of hospital stay. The target population consisted of 274 patients who were beneficiaries of the KU program during the specified period. For sampling, pediatric patients enrolled in the KU program between January and July 2017 and patients with complete admission and discharge data available were considered to be part of the inclusion criteria. Document analysis review was used as the data collection instrument, which involved tracking and documenting various health and demographic parameters of the patients. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the correlation between the length of time enrolled in the KU program and improvements in nutritional status. The findings revealed that all patients were ubudehe 3 or less, and the majority of patients were classified as moderately food insecure. Surprisingly, the majority of pediatric beneficiaries were ubudehe 3. This paper concludes that undernutrition remain one of the major challenges in the area of public health, with developing countries such as Rwanda being the most affected. The study recommends there is a need to expand the Kuzamura Ubuzima nutrition program to include more hospitals and other healthcare facilities within Rwanda. Additionally, it is suggested that training sessions should be enhanced to describe the importance of proper feeding, key aspects of balanced diets, and their impact on recovery rates, thus assisting caregivers in making informed decisions about their children's nutrition both in and out of the hospital. The study also emphasizes the need for policymakers to develop and implement policies that encourage better provision of nutrition in pediatric healthcare. Furthermore, healthcare administrators, providers, community partners, and researchers to collaborate in improving nutritional outcomes for hospitalized children through measures such as post-discharge follow-up systems, partnerships with local agricultural organizations, and the integration of nutrition education into healthcare curricula.
Keywords: Hospitalized children, Kuzamura Ubuzima, Nutrition support and program, Butare University Teaching Hospital, Rwanda
References
Abuga, B., Onsomu, A., Kimani, E., & Moore, J. (2008). Determinants of Children’s Nutritional Status in Kenya: Evidence from Demographic and Health Survey. Journal of Africa Economy.
Allard, J. P., Keller, H., Jeejeebhoy, K. N., Laporte, M., Duerksen, D. R., Gramlich, L., … Lou, W. (2015). Decline in nutritional status is associated with prolonged length of stay in hospitalized patients admitted for 7 days or more: A prospective cohort study. Clinical Nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), 35(1), 144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2015.01.009
Babatunde, R. O., Olagunju, F. I., Fakayode, S. B., & Sola-Ojo, F. E. (2011). Prevalence and Determinants of Malnutrition among Under-five Children of Farming Households in Kwara State, Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Science, 3(3), 173–181. https://doi.org/10.5539/jas.v3n3p173
Bhutta, Z. A., Ahmed, T., Black, R. E., Cousens, S., Dewey, K., Giugliani, E., … Shekar, M. (2008). What works? Interventions for maternal and child undernutrition and survival. The Lancet, 371(9610), 417–440. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61693-6
Bhutta, Z. A., Das, J. K., Rizvi, A., Gaffey, M. F., Walker, N., Horton, S., … Black, R. E. (2013). Evidence-based interventions for improvement of maternal and child nutrition: What can be done and at what cost? The Lancet, 382(9890), 452–477. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60996-4
Brink, J., Chb, M. B., Pettifor, J. M., Bch, M. B., & Sa, F. (2014). The prevalence of malnutrition in children admitted to a general paediatric ward at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital : A cross-sectional survey, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.7196/SAJCH.787.Length
Correia, M. I. T. D., & Waitzberg, D. L. (2003). The impact of malnutrition on morbidity, mortality, length of hospital stay and costs evaluated through a multivariate model analysis. Clinical Nutrition, 22(3), 235–239. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-5614(02)00215-7
Haddad, L. (2016). Global Nutrition Report 2016: From Promise to Impact: Ending Malnutrition by 2030. International Food Policy Research Institute, 26. https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896295841
Harney, M. (2009). Food and nutritional care in hospitals guidelines for preventing under-nutrition in acute hospitals. Food and Nutritional Care in Hospitals.
Mehta, N. M., Corkins, M. R., Lyman, B., Malone, A., Goday, P. S., Carney, L. N., … Schwenk, W. F. (2013). Defining Pediatric Malnutrition : A Paradigm Shift Toward Etiology-Related Definitions, XX(X). https://doi.org/10.1177/0148607113479972
National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), Ministry of Health (MOH) [Rwanda], and I. I. (2015). Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey 2014-15. Kigali.
Norman, K., Pichard, C., Lochs, H., & Pirlich, M. (2008). Prognostic impact of disease-related malnutrition. Clinical Nutrition, 27(1), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2007.10.007
Tappenden, K. A., Quatrara, B., Parkhurst, M. L., Malone, A. M., Fanjiang, G., & Ziegler, T. R. (2013). Critical Role of Nutrition in Improving Quality of Care : Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 113(9), 1219–1237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2013.05.015
Van De Poel, E., Hosseinpoor, A. R., Speybroeck, N., Van Ourti, T., & Vega, J. (2008). Socioeconomic inequality in malnutrition in developing countries. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 86(4), 282–291. https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.07.044800
WHO. (2005). Malnutrition: quantifying the health impact at national and local levels. Environmental Burden Disease Series (Vol. 12). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0107040
World Food Program (WFP). (2012). Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis and Nutrition Survey, Rwanda, 2012(April), 81. Retrieved from http://home.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/ena/wfp200025.pdf
