Nearly One in Three Lactating Mothers Is Suffering from Inadequate Dietary Diversity in Amhara Region, Northwest Ethiopia

Food insecurity and its associated factors among lactating mothers in the Chiro district, Eastern Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study

Introduction

Lactating mothers are extremely vulnerable to both macro and micronutrient deficiencies due to the increased nutritional requirements and high magnitude of food insecurity in low-income countries. However, there are a dearth of studies conducted in sub-Saharan African countries regarding this study area. Thus, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of food insecurity and its associated factors among lactating mothers in the Chiro district, eastern Ethiopia.

Methods

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 446 randomly selected lactating mothers from 1-30 June, 2020. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured and pre-tested questionnaire. Data were entered using EpiData version 3.1 and exported to STATA version 14.2 for cleaning and analysis. Bi-variable and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were fitted to check the association between independent variables and food insecurity. The level of statistical significance was declared at a p-value < 0.05.

Results

The magnitude of food insecurity among lactating mothers was 68.8 % (95 % CI: 64.4, 72.9) and 12.1% (95 % CI: 9.4, 15.5) were severely food insecure. Residing in the rural (AOR =2.36, 95% CI:1.21, 4.62), poor wealth indices (AOR =4.68, 95% CI:2.02, 10.8), owning farmland of less than a hectare (AOR =2.35, 95% CI:1.06, 5.19), mothers who had less than three meals a day (AOR =2.70, 95% CI:1.33, 5.46), and who did not have their own income (AOR =2.32, 95% CI:1.36, 3.96) were significantly associated factors with food insecurity among lactating mothers.

Conclusion

Food insecurity is highly prevalent in lactating mothers' households. Therefore, the government and other stakeholders need to take action that addresses factors affecting mothers' food security status through strengthening nutrition-sensitive interventions.

Anaemia, anthropometric undernutrition and associated factors among mothers with children younger than 2 years of age in the rural Dale district, southern Ethiopia: A community‐based study

Mothers in resource‐poor settings are affected by different forms of undernutrition. However, the nutritional status of mothers in rural areas, particularly after delivery, is not well documented. This study assessed haemoglobin levels and body mass index (BMI) of mothers with children below 2 years of age in a rural district of southern Ethiopia. Factors associated with low haemoglobin levels and low BMI were analysed. A community‐based cross‐sectional study was conducted among 931 mother‐child pairs. Structured and standard questionnaires were used to collect data on background information, 24 h dietary recalls, and household food insecurity. Anthropometric and haemoglobin level assessments were performed. Anaemia was defined as haemoglobin levels below 12.0 g/dl, and anthropometric undernutrition was defined as a BMI <18.5 kg/m². Multilevel linear regression was used to determine associations. Out of 931 mothers, 12.8% were anaemic and 12.6% had a BMI <18.5 kg/m². The prevalence of minimum dietary diversity was 37.8%. The majority (78.5%) of the households were food insecure. Weight (β 0.02; 95% CI: 0.003−0.03), dietary diversity (β 0.08; 95% CI: 0.03−0.12) and secondary school attendance (β 0.34; 95% CI: 0.08−0.59) were associated with the mothers' haemoglobin level. Dietary diversity (β 0.08; 95% CI: 0.01−0.16) and household's wealth (β 0.6; 95% CI: 0.27−0.94) were associated with the mothers' BMI. Findings suggest that education and community‐based nutrition interventions must be strengthened to ensure household food security. Implementation of the national food‐based strategies should be considered, to improve the dietary diversity and nutritional status of mothers.

Anaemia and underweight were less prevalent among mothers with young children in the rural Dale district, southern Ethiopia, than the national report of the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey in 2016.

Dietary diversity is positively associated with haemoglobin level and body mass index among mothers with children younger than 2 years of age.

The existing nutrition interventions such as the Productive Safety Net Programme need strengthening, to improve the sustained food access to rural households.

Planing and implementing community‐based small‐scale activities, such as school gardening, and fish and poultry farming, to ensure the availability and affordability of nutritious foods.

Only one in four lactating mothers met the minimum dietary diversity score in the pastoral community, Afar region, Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study

Maternal dietary feeding practice is one of the proxy indicators of maternal nutrient adequacy and it improves outcomes for both mothers and their offspring. The minimum maternal dietary diversity score of lactating women is defined as when the mother ate at least four and above food groups from the nine food groups 24 h preceding the survey regardless of the portion size. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the minimum dietary diversity score (MDDS) and its predictors among lactating mothers in the Pastoralist community, Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study design was employed on 360 lactating mothers using a multi-stage sampling technique from 5 January 2020 to 10 February 2020. Data were collected using questionnaires and anthropometry measurements. Data were entered using EPI-data 4.6.02 and exported into SPSS version 25. Statistical significance was declared at P-value <0⋅05 at multivariable logistic regression. Only one in four lactating mothers met the MDDS. The majority of them consumed cereals in the preceding 24 h of data collection. The most important predictors were maternal meal frequency (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 6⋅26; 95 % confidence interval (CI) (3⋅51, 11⋅15)), antenatal care (ANC) follow-up one to three times and four and above times (AOR: 2⋅58; 95 % CI (1⋅24, 5⋅36), 4⋅77 (1⋅90, 11⋅95), respectively) and secondary paternal education (AOR 2⋅97; 95 % CI (1⋅44, 6⋅11)). The MDDS among lactating mothers was low. Paternal education, maternal meal frequency and ANC follow-up were the significant predictors. Therefore, to improve maternal dietary diversity score emphasis should be given to those predictors.