Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 23, 2025
Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil
Published on: July 29, 2020
Determinants of egg consumption by infants and young children in Ethiopia
Bezawit E Kase1, Edward A Frongillo2, Sejla Isanovic2
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, 915 Greene Street, Columbia, SC29208, USA.
Insights
Egg consumption in Ethiopian children is influenced by caregiver education and household wealth. Purchasing eggs and positive caregiver behaviors significantly increase consumption, highlighting key factors for improving child nutrition.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition science
- Public health
- Child development
Background:
- Egg consumption is crucial for infant and young child nutrition.
- Understanding consumption determinants is vital for targeted interventions in Ethiopia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify factors influencing egg consumption in Ethiopian children aged 6-23.9 months.
- To explore associations between socio-demographic, economic, and behavioral factors and egg intake.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey data from 453 children aged 6-23.9 months in Ethiopia.
- Interviewer-administered questionnaires collected data on child feeding, caregiver behavior, and household characteristics.
- Multivariable ordinal logistic regression analyzed determinants of egg consumption in the past 7 days.
Main Results:
- 53.4% of children did not consume eggs in the past 7 days.
- Caregiver education (OR 4.33), purchasing eggs (OR 9.73), and positive caregiver behaviors (OR 1.37) were associated with higher egg consumption.
- Household wealth showed a positive association (OR 1.13), while food insecurity had a negative association (OR 0.96).
Conclusions:
- Egg availability, primarily through purchase, strongly predicts child egg consumption.
- Caregiver education and economic resources are linked to egg consumption, potentially mediated by caregiver behavior.
- Findings inform strategies to promote egg consumption for improved child nutrition in Ethiopia.
Objective:
To identify determinants of egg consumption in infants and young children aged 6-23·9 months in Ethiopia.
Design And Setting:
Data used were from the cross-sectional baseline survey of an egg campaign in Ethiopia implemented by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition.
Participants:
Children aged 6-23·9 months (n 453) were sampled. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, economic resources, caregiver's behaviour, child health and feeding practices, and egg consumption in the last 7 d were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression was used to examine the association between explanatory variables and egg consumption in the last 7 d.
Results:
About half of children (53·4 %) did not consume eggs in the last 7 d. The odds of children consuming eggs were 4·33 (P < 0·002) times higher when their caregivers had some college education compared with no education. Wealth was positively (OR, 1·13, P = 0·029) and household food insecurity was negatively (OR, 0·96, P = 0·117) associated with child egg consumption. Purchasing eggs (OR, 9·73, P < 0·001) and caregiver's positive behavioural determinants (OR, 1·37, P = 0·005) were associated with child egg consumption. The associations of socio-demographic characteristics and economic resources with egg consumption provide evidence of partial mediation through caregiver behaviour and child health.
Conclusions:
About half of children aged 6-23·9 months consumed eggs. Availability of eggs in households, mainly through purchase, was strongly associated with egg consumption. Education of caregivers and household heads and economic resources were associated with egg consumption and may operate through caregiver behaviour.
More Related Videos
03:35Determining Gender-Based Differences in Retinal and Choroidal Thickness in Underweight Individuals via Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography
Published on: December 1, 2023
07:34Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients
Published on: August 22, 2018
