Background: World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that bottle feeding should be avoided for infant and young child feeding since it has an impact on optimal breastfeeding, appropriate complementary feeding and bottles with a nipple are prone to contamination. The objectives of this study were to determine intention, magnitude and factors associated with bottle feeding among mothers of 0-23 months infants and children. Methods: Community based cross sectional study was conducted from February to May 2016. A total of 422 mothers who had children 0-23 months were included in the study. Systematic random sampling was used to select the study subjects. Data were collected using a pre-tested interviewer administered structured questionnaire. The data were cleaned, coded, entered in to EPI-INFO version 3.5.4, and transferred and analyzed using SPSS. Odds ratio was calculated with 95% CI to identify factors associated with bottle feeding practice. P-values less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of bottle-feeding in this study was 19.6% and another 27.6% mothers have intention of bottle feeding. Being infant age of 0-5 months [AOR = 0.27;95% CI:(0.12,0.62)] and being a housewife [AOR = 0.37; 95% CI:(0.21,0.67)] were negatively associated while having three under five children [AOR = 2.77;95% CI:(1.07,7.14)], not attending PNC follow-up [AOR = 2.13;95% CI:(1.19,4.97)], lower age of mothers [AOR = 3.38;95% CI:(1.48,7.73)] and not counseled on bottle feeding [AOR = 2.18;95% CI:(1.24,3.83)] were positively associated with bottle feeding. Conclusion: The prevalence of bottle feeding in the study area was high compared to the national prevalence of bottle feeding. Working outside home, lower maternal age, older age of children, having more than one under five children in the household, not attending PNC follow-up and not counseled on bottle feeding were found to be risk factors associated with bottle feeding practice in the study area.

Iodine deficiency disorders remain a major public health problem globally, and more than a quarter of the world's population is affected by this micronutrient deficiency. The problem is even worse in developing countries including Ethiopia, and the government has been implementing globally recommended universal salt iodization as one strategy to control iodine deficiency disorders. The objective of this study was to assess iodine content of salt used in households, and associated factors. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February to June, 2017 in Gidami district, Western Ethiopia. A total of 470 household food caterers participated in the study by using random sampling method. Data were collected using interviewer administered questionnaire and rapid iodized salt test kit to assess socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, practices and iodine content of the salt. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify associated factors of iodine level in the salt using odds ratio with 95% confidence interval. Results: Among the household salt samples, 83.6% were found to be iodized (>0ppm) while 29.8% (95% CI: 25.8, 33.9%) were found to be adequately iodized. Respondents who had formal education [AOR=1.82, 95% CI: (1.42, 3.53)], had an occupation [AOR=4.78, 95% CI: (1.55-14.73)], did not expose salt to sunlight [AOR=1.13, 95% CI: (1.10-1.27)] had good knowledge of iodized salt [AOR=1.184, 95% CI: (1.103, 1.328)], and had good practice regarding iodized salt [AOR=1.32, 95% CI: (1.717, 2.442)] were more likely to have adequately iodized salt at household level. Conclusion:According to this study, the availability of adequately iodized salt at household level was below global and national target of universal iodine utilization. This study suggested the importance of paying more attention to availability of iodine fortification and increasing awareness regarding the importance of iodized salt and potential factors such as utilization practice and handling of iodized salt.

Poor diet quality related to inadequate complementary feeding is a major public health problem in low and middle‐income countries including Ethiopia. Low dietary diversity has been linked to negative health outcomes in children. To provide a package of interventions to close nutritional gaps through agriculture, the Sustainable Undernutrition Reduction in Ethiopia (SURE) programme was set up as a multi‐sectoral initiative and the results of combined effects of community‐based and enhanced nutrition services, compared to community‐based alone, on diet diversity and diet quality of complementary feeding of young children are presented. The study used pre‐ and post‐intervention design. Baseline (n = 4980) data were collected from May to July 2016, and follow‐up (n = 2419) data from December 2020 to January 2021. From 51 intervention districts having the SURE programme, 36 intervention districts were randomly selected for baseline and 31 for the follow‐up survey. The primary outcome was diet quality: minimum dietary diversity (MDD), minimum meal frequency (MMF) and minimum acceptable diet (MAD). Comparing endline to baseline over the 4.5‐year intervention, the use of standard community‐based nutrition services of growth monitoring and promotion increased (16%–46%), as did enhanced nutrition services of infant and young child feeding counselling, and agricultural advising (62%–77%). Women involved in home gardening significantly increased (73%–93%); however, household production of food decreased yet consumption of most own‐grown foods increased. Importantly, MAD and MDD increased four‐fold. The SURE intervention programme was associated with improvements in complementary feeding and diet quality through enhanced nutrition services. This suggests programmes targeted at nutrition‐sensitive practices can improve child feeding in young children.