1Fisheries Resources Research Institute P.O Box, 343, Jinja.
2Lake Victoria Fisheries Research Project, P.O. Box 2145, Jinja.

The nutritional status of fishing communities on Lake Victoria, Uganda

Considerable concern was raised concerning the nutritional status of Lake Victoria's fishing communities, particularly since the rise of the Nile perch (Lates niloticus) export industry commencing in the early 1990s.

This paper discusses the findings of a nutritional survey carried out amongst fishing communities sampling mothers and their children to gauge the nutritional wellbeing of these settlements. Results are compared to those from a control group of villages randomly selected from a band 25 - 35 km parallel to the lakeshore.

Anthropometric data (height, weight and age) of children between 6 and 59 months and their mothers were recorded. Generally mothers tended to be well nourished with only 4.6% chronically undernourished. Fewer mothers at lakeside sights were malnourished (3.0%) than mothers at hinterland sites (6.2%).

Children's age/height ratios were compared with WHO reference standards. 44.5% of children sampled had heights below that considered normal for their ages, suggesting widespread stunting. Differences between hinterland and lakeside values were minimal. Additional data on acute malnutrition and underweight children are also considered.

These, and other, data were cross tabulated against a series of socio-economic data, yielding no Chi squared significant results. Follow-up qualitative surveys suggested that possible causes for malnutrition at lakeside study sites depended on who within the households controlled cash incomes. Here, most income is earned from the fishing industry, which is largely controlled by men, who do not traditionally have responsibility for the wellbeing of their households and children. The study cautiously suggests that this reason may explain the trends observed in the data.