Minimum Acceptable Diet and Associated Factors among 6-23 Months Age Children in Wondo Genet District, Sidama Region,
Amelo Bolka Gujo1, Assefa Philipos Kare1
1School of Public Health, Yirgalem Hospital Medical College, Sidama Region, Ethiopia.
Insights
Child feeding practices significantly impact child well-being. This study found only 26.5% of children met the minimum acceptable diet (MAD), highlighting low food security and maternal education as key influencing factors.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Public Health
- Child Development
Background:
- Inappropriate child feeding practices pose risks to children under two.
- Assessing the minimum acceptable diet (MAD) is crucial for child survival and well-being.
- Ethiopia faces challenges in optimal child nutrition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the minimum acceptable diet (MAD) among children aged 6-23 months in Wondo Genet district, Sidama region, Ethiopia.
- To identify factors associated with achieving MAD in this population.
Main Methods:
- A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted with 422 children aged 6-23 months.
- Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed with logistic regression.
- MAD was determined by minimum meal frequency (MMF) and minimum dietary diversity (MDD).
Main Results:
- The prevalence of children meeting MAD was low at 26.5%.
- Food security, growth monitoring utilization, maternal education, and child age (12-23 months) were associated with higher MAD.
- Food-secured households showed 2.39 times higher odds of meeting MAD.
Conclusions:
- The prevalence of MAD is critically low in the study area.
- Maternal education, child age, growth monitoring, and food security are key determinants of MAD.
- Interventions must focus on improving child feeding practices within local contexts.
Background:
Inappropriate child feeding practices can have significant negative effects on the well-being and survival of children under two years old. This study was aimed at assessing the minimum acceptable diet (MAD) and associated factors among 6 to 23 months age children in Wondo Genet district, Sidama region, Ethiopia.
Methods:
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 to 30 July in 2023 among 422 children aged 6 to 23 months. Multi-stage sampling method was applied to select kebeles and study participants. Trained data collectors gathered data using pretested questionnaire. Data was entered into EPI Info 7 and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 26. MAD as a composite indicator was produced based on the proportion of children aged 6 to 23 months who met the minimum meal frequency (MMF) and minimum dietary diversity (MDD) on the previous day. To assess the factors determining adherence to MAD, multi-variable logistic regression analyses were employed. The outputs were presented using an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).
Results:
In this study, 419 mothers/caretakers participated with a response rate of 99.3%. The proportion of children who met the MAD were 26.5% (95% CI: 22.29%, 30.71%). Increased odds of meeting MAD were associated with being from food-secured households (AOR = 2.39, 95% CI: 1.48 to 3.86), utilization of growth monitoring services (AOR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.23 to 3.39), mother attended formal education (AOR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.15 to 3.08), and being in age range of 12-23 months (AOR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.26 to 3.63).
Conclusion:
The prevalence of MAD was very low. Factors associated with a MAD included maternal education, child age, growth monitoring service utilization, and food security. To enhance MAD provision, it is crucial to strengthen child feeding practices tailored to the local context.
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