Peer-reviewed article
The local food system and dietary diversity among children aged 6-23 months in Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional survey.
Asayehu T, Sergawi A, Metekia WA, Teamir M, Abdela M et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined dietary diversity among 1,475 children aged 6-23 months across three regions of Ethiopia. Only 25.6% of children consumed foods from at least five of eight food groups in the previous 24 hours, falling short of the adequate minimum dietary diversity standard. Children from households with backyard gardens, access to communication devices, attendance at cooking demonstrations, labour-saving technologies, and irrigation use were significantly more likely to meet adequate dietary diversity. There were substantial regional differences, with children in Amhara region performing much better than those in Somali region.
Key points
- Only 25.6% of children aged 6-23 months achieved adequate minimum dietary diversity (consuming at least 5 of 8 food groups)
- Backyard gardening was associated with 1.43 times higher odds of adequate dietary diversity
- Attendance at cooking demonstrations nearly doubled the odds of adequate dietary diversity (AOR=1.99)
- Children in Amhara had 7.56 times higher odds of adequate dietary diversity compared to children in Somali region
- Use of irrigation, labour-saving technologies, and access to communication devices were all significantly associated with improved dietary diversity
Limitations
This cross-sectional survey can identify associations but not establish causation. The study is limited to three regions of Ethiopia and may not represent other areas.
Abstract
Objective The objective of this study was to generate evidence for strengthening the local food system to contribute to improved dietary diversity among children in Ethiopia. Design A community-based cross-sectional survey. Setting The study was conducted in the Amhara, Oromia and Somali regions of Ethiopia. Participants A total of 1475 children aged 6-23 months were included. Children requiring special care or not permanently residing in the study areas were excluded. Primary outcome measure The primary outcome measure was the adequate Minimum Dietary Diversity, defined as the consumption of at least five of the eight defined food groups in the previous 24 hours. Results Only 25.6% of children met the adequate minimum dietary diversity requirement. Children from households with backyard gardening (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.43, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.88), access to communication devices (AOR=1.99, 95% CI 1.51 to 2.64), attendance at cooking demonstrations (AOR=1.99, 95% CI 1.44 to 2.74), use of labour-saving and time-saving technologies (AOR=1.55, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.09) and irrigation use for crop production (AOR=1.78, 95% CI 1.26 to 2.52) had higher odds of meeting adequate minimum dietary diversity. Residence was strongly associated with dietary outcomes: children in Amhara had more than seven times the odds of achieving adequate minimum dietary diversity of children compared with Somali (AOR=7.56, 95% CI 4.92 to 11.62), while those in Oromia had nearly twice the odds (AOR=1.74, 95% CI 1.17 to 2.60). Conclusion Dietary diversity among children was low in the study areas. Strengthening local food systems through promotion of backyard gardening, cooking demonstrations, irrigation use, communication access and appropriate technologies could improve children's dietary diversity. Regional disparities highlight the need for context-specific strategies, particularly to address the low dietary diversity in children.