Research Paper

Dietary Diversity And Associated Factors Among Children Aged 6-23 Months In Rural Area Of Damot Sore District, South Ethiopia

Abstract :

Back ground: Lack of dietary diversity is a problem at any age, but it is particularly critical for older infants and young children during the complementary feeding period. Meting recommended minimum standards of dietary quality is a challenge in many developing countries including Ethiopia, the timely introduction and quality of complementary foods for children six months and older is poor. In Ethiopia, The dietary diversity and associated factors of children not yet studied well. This study aimed to examine dietary diversity and associated factors of children 6-23 months old living in rural part Ethiopia. Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted in rural part of Damot sore District, South Ethiopia from January to February, 2017. A total of 603 randomly selected mothers having children 6-23 months of age were involved in the study. Data were collected and then entered into a computer using Epi Data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. Crude and adjusted odds ratio along with their 95% Confidence Interval (CI) were reported. Results: The study indicated that only 29.4%, (95% CI: 25.7-33.1%) of the children satisfied minimum dietary diversity within 24 hrs. Educational status of mothers, able to read and write (AOR =1.97, 95% CI: 1.22-3.19), secondary completed and above (AOR =2.52, 95% CI: 1.49-4.27), occupation of mother, those who are merchant (AOR=1.68, 95% CI: 1.03-2.74), government employee (AOR=8.59, 95% CI: 3.36-19.4) and child age 18-23 months (AOR=1.71, 95% CI: 1.08-2.72) were significantly associated with dietary diversity. Conclusion and recommendation: Even though the study showed better result when compared with national report, it is still low and does not meet WHO infant and young child feeding recommendations. Therefore, increasing mothers education, empowering women and timely introduction of complementary foods at age of six month and above are recommended.

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