Uganda: Activists Call for Greater Focus On Adolescent Nutrition in Uganda

What the report says

Nutrition advocates in Uganda are urging a broader policy focus on the diets and health of adolescents and young people, saying national efforts have long concentrated on children under five. The appeal was reported by The Independent (Kampala) and published through AllAfrica on 2 October 2026.

The call was made during a three-day Sports for Health tournament at Kitebi Primary School in Lubaga Division, Kampala. The event brought together young people for sports and for discussions on nutrition, hygiene, sanitation and climate change. Organisers said the programme is intended to use sport as an entry point for promoting healthier lifestyles and to involve adolescents more directly in conversations about what they eat and how they live.

Sissy Kam, a health technical adviser with Plan International, said adolescence is a key period for physical growth and for forming lifelong habits, and that nutrition work should extend beyond early childhood. She also pointed to concerns about overweight and obesity among school-age children, citing UNICEF figures in the report that say 12 percent of children aged five to 19 are overweight or obese. Kam said diet and regular physical activity both matter for young people’s health.

Benard Ssembatya, country director of SANFOYAC, said the initiative is also collecting data on children above age five to fill information gaps on older children and adolescents. He said climate change and food insecurity can worsen nutrition challenges, especially for vulnerable households, and that the broader goal is to address undernutrition as well as unhealthy diets and obesity across age groups.