All parents wish their children would excel in school. But nutrition experts say the journey to grade A or D in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) is shaped by what you feed an infant.
An assessment by the Ministry of Health and its partners shows that barring other factors, most Kenyan children are already primed for miserable grades.
They said some brain cells must receive certain minerals by age two or they will never develop properly.
That means after the exclusive breastfeeding for six months, caregivers and parents must carefully introduce the right foods to maximise brain development.
The foods must be rich in proteins, fatty acids, and micronutrients that are important for brain growth.
But most Kenyan parents – 69 per cent – complement breastfeeding of their children with mashed potatoes, bananas and other frothy foods that lack these key minerals.
The situation is laid bare in four reports published last week by the Ministry of Health, Unicef and non-profit Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) in the scientific journal Maternal & Child Nutrition.
“The consequences of poor nutrition include mortality, morbidity and delayed mental and motor development in childhood; and are associated with impaired intellectual performance, work capacity, reproductive outcomes and overall health throughout adulthood,” the three institutions said.
They said complementary feeding – the practice of providing infants and young children with a variety of nutritious and safe foods while continuing to breastfeed – is essential for their health and development.
However, most children in Kenya do not receive a diverse and adequate diet, and therefore suffer from high burdens of micronutrient deficiencies and anaemia. They also suffer severe, irreversible consequences throughout their life.
“This limits the potential of the next generation and holds back the country’s economic development,” the authors said.
In the period between six and 23 months, the growth rate of the brain is one of the fastest during the life span and, consequently, the timing, dose, and duration of exposure to specific nutrients can result in both positive and negative effects.
The special edition on infant nutrition comes in four parts, and suggests foods that parents must use to wean their babies to improve their future lives.
Veronica Kirogo, acting head of the division of family wellness, nutrition and dietetics at the Ministry of Health, said, “Our research collaboration with Unicef and GAIN provides an evidence base to guide policies and programmes to improve young children’s nutrition nationally and regionally.”
Results of the recently released Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) show about 54 per cent of the candidates scored D+ and below.
According to the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) a D+ (plus) is simply a “pass” while grades D (plain) and below in KCPE and KCSE mean the candidate failed.
More than 373,000 candidates from a total 899,453 students failed.
The Ministry of Education said 48,174 scored a mean grade of E.
“I am pained by the fact that a large number of candidates still ended up scoring a mean grade of E in the 2023 KCSE even after the ministry used a more flexible system of computing the final overall candidate results,” Education CS Ezekiel Machogu said when he released the results on January 8 at Moi Girls in Eldoret.
While there are many reasons for poor performance in schools, experts said poor infant nutrition was one of them. Notably, students from locations known for high rates of malnutrition and stunted growth, perform poorly in national exams.
Dr Ty Beal, research adviser at GAIN, said, “Across all studies a common theme emerged: location, location, location. The barriers to optimal complementary feeding vary by location and require tailored approaches, which should be feasible given the decentralised government in Kenya.”
Dr Ismael Teta, chief of nutrition at Unicef Kenya said they were ready to support the government in translating the findings into impactful policy and programmes that give every child the best start in life.
“Good nutrition in early childhood provides a strong foundation for growth, health and development,” Teta said.
The ministry has also mapped the current complementary feeding practices across Kenya and recommended easily available foods that parents can give to their children.
It shows while older children and adults often eat nutritious foods, infants below two years do not get them.
“Overall, eggs, beef, avocado, omena, beans, dark green leafy vegetables and milk emerged as commonly consumed, nutrient-dense foods, which could help address nutrient intake deficits in complementary feeding diets within Kenya,” the paper says.
The experts said infants aged six to 23 months mostly received the ‘brothy/soupy’ portion of foods prepared (the less nutrient-dense part), as opposed to the (semi) solid portion (the more nutrient-dense part).
“Additionally, nutrient-poor teas, watery porridges and porridges from grains and tubers were found to be popular complementary foods,” they said.
On the contrary, animal-source foods, legumes and nuts were rarely fed to infants and young children.
Milk is commonly used as a complementary food, though in small quantities, but only in regions where livestock keeping is common.
“Of particular interest is the finding that eggs were seldom used as complementary foods despite most households keeping chickens. In one county, feeding eggs to children is considered taboo,” the authors lament.
The result is a growing population that may not help the Kenya Kwanza and future governments achieve economic transformation of Kenya.
The ministry has now prepared a recipe book for caregivers with the suggested foods for each region.
For instance, parents in Northeastern, who mostly give babies milk and meat, are now recommended to introduce dark green leafy vegetables, eggs, avocado, omena and beans.
Coast, Western and Nyanza provinces have high consumption of omena, vegetables, avocado, beans and eggs, but poor consumption of meats. They are now encouraged to give those foods to babies and also introduce meats such as poultry and rabbits.
Central, Rift Valley, Eastern and Nairobi provinces should introduce leafy vegetables, eggs, beans and meat to infants.