Given Hapunda

217 Haemoglobin 10.64±2.07 20 10.99±1.82 19 11.94±1.97 5 Discussion A. Pre-intervention Anthropometric indices Under-nutrition Stunting and underweight remain the most common nutritional disorders in South Africa (Labadarios et al ., 2008) with a national prevalence rate of 19% (Steyn et al ., 2005). This was also observed in this study, especially in the experimental groups, although poor nutritional status was indicated to be prevalent in all three study groups. A high prevalence of stunting was reported by Labadarios et al ., (2005), who reported that one in three South African pre-school children were stunted, the rural (24%) and farm (26%) areas being most affected. Stunting usually indicates a chronic shortage of food (WHO, 2013) and in this study it was found mainly in both the experimental groups (Evaton West, 52% and Soshanguve, 62%), which were situated in peri-urban informal settlements, whereas there was a low prevalence in the control group (3.0%) situated in an urban area. The results of this study showed a much higher prevalence rate of stunting in the experimental groups than the national and global prevalence of 20% (Labadarios et al ., 2008) and 32% (UNICEF, 2007) respectively. Similar results were reported by Schoeman et al ., (2010), whereby high prevalence of stunting in children between the ages of 6 and 59 months residing in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces was observed. High prevalence rates of stunting were also observed in other African countries such as Kenya (Maseta et al ., 2008) and Ghana (Adom et al., 2010). The national prevalence rate for underweight was 10% in children between 1 and 9 years old (Labadarios et al ., 2008). The underweight prevalence in both the experimental groups was higher (20%). In comparison, the control group had a low prevalence of underweight (3%), with none of the children presenting with severe underweight at baseline. Prevalence rates of wasting in children aged 1–9 years in urban areas ranged between 6% and 9% in urban areas in 1999 and have increased in urban areas since 2005 (Labadarios et al ., 2008:134–135). In this study, the prevalence of wasting was less than 5% in all three groups, thus not indicating severe food insecurity (hunger) in these households. These results are congruent with the results indicating that 22%