Vitamin A supplementation uptake and its associated factors among Ethiopian children aged 6-59 months:...

Vitamin A deficiency remains a public health concern associated with childhood morbidity and mortality. The World Health Organization recommends periodic high-dose vitamin A supplementation (VAS) for children at risk of deficiency. This study examined VAS uptake and its associated factors among children aged 6-59 months in North Wollo Zone, Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 616 mother-child pairs recruited using multistage sampling technique. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize frequencies and proportions. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with VAS uptake, with adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) used to measure the strength and statistical significance of associations. Overall, 45.6% of children (95% CI: 41.7-49.6) received VAS within the six months preceding the survey. The odds of VAS uptake were higher among children whose mothers had good knowledge of the importance and schedule of VAS (AOR = 6.39, 95% CI: 3.97, 10.30), and among children aged 6-23 months compared with those aged 24-59 months (AOR = 3.99, 95% CI: 2.61, 6.09). VAS uptake was also higher among children living within ≤ 30 minutes' walking distance of the nearest health facility (AOR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.26, 2.94), children who had received routine vaccinations (AOR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.21, 4.22), and children whose mothers had attended postnatal care follow-up (AOR = 2.23, 95% CI: 1.32, 3.80). VAS coverage remained below the national target of 80%, indicating a continued gap in child nutrition and micronutrient deficiency prevention. Efforts should focus on improving maternal knowledge of the importance and schedule of VAS, enhancing service accessibility, and integrating VAS counselling and delivery into postnatal care and routine childhood vaccination programs.