Dietary Diversity and Anthropometric Status of Mother–Child Pairs from Enset (False Banana) Staple Areas: A Panel Evidence from Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: A sizable cross-sectional studies demonstrated a low dietary diversity in Southern Ethiopia. However, its seasonal trend has not been well studied in areas where nutrient-poor enset (false banana (Ensete ventricosum)) foods are major staple. Moreover, there is scarcity of information on seasonal nature of anthropometric status of mother–child pairs (MCP) from the same areas in Southern Ethiopia. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the dietary diversity and anthropometric status of MCP in postharvest dry and lean wet seasons and identify factors associated with anthropometric status. Methods: The dietary intake and anthropometric data were collected from 578 households (578 mothers and 578 children) January–June 2017. The study compared data of the two seasons using McNemar’s test for dichotomous, Wilcoxon signed-rank test for non-normally distributed, and paired samples t-test for normally distributed continuous data. Logistic regression was conducted to identify risk factors for malnutrition. In addition, Spearman’s Rho test was used to determine correlations between maternal and child variables. Results: Over 94% of the mothers did not fulfil the minimum diet diversity score in both seasons. The meal frequency and pulses/legumes intake significantly declined in lean wet season; however, dark green leaves consumption increased. Meat, poultry, and fish consumption dropped to almost zero in the lean wet season. The dietary diversity and anthropometric status of the MCP were correlated. Weight-for-age (WAZ) and weight-for-height (WHZ) of children significantly declined in the lean wet season. In the same way, maternal mid upper arm circumference (MUAC), body weight, and body mass index (BMI) dropped (p < 0.001) in this season. Being pregnant and a lactating mother, poverty, and the ability to make decisions independently predicted maternal undernutrition (low MUAC). On the other hand, maternal undernutrition and education were associated with child underweight. Conclusions: The results demonstrated that the dietary diversity of MCP is low in both postharvest dry and lean wet seasons. This suggests the need for continuous nutrition intervention to improve the dietary diversity. In addition, the anthropometric status of MCP declines in lean wet season. This may provide some clue for policy targeting on improving nutritional status of mothers and children in rural Southern Ethiopia.

Seasonal Variation of Household Food Insecurity and Household Dietary Diversity on Wasting and Stunting among Young Children in A Drought Prone Area in South Ethiopia: A Cohort Study

“…The intake of animal source food and fruits were low, and this is similar to findings from other developing countries (Bosha et al 2019;Campbell et al 2014;Hirvonen, Taffesse, and Worku Hassen 2016). However, we found a high intake of carbohydrate source foods which indicates the monotonous nature of the diet (Table 6).…”

“…Some studies show that there are differences in wasting prevalence rates between the dry and wet seasons (Kinyoki et al 2016) and between post-harvest and pre-harvest seasons (Roba et al 2016). Earlier research from Sidama, where the current study was done showed seasonal wasting where nutrient-poor enset (Ensete ventricosum) is the major staple crop (Abebe et al 2006;Bosha et al 2019;Ferro-Luzzi et al 2001). These studies were from the more fertile area of Sidama than the current study which was carried out in a drought-prone population, and also showed that children and adults both suffered from exposure to seasonal energy stress.…”

Validation of the CIMI-Ethiopia Program and Seasonal Variation in Maternal Nutrient Intake in Enset (False Banana) Growing Areas of Southern Ethiopia

“…Shebedino and Hula are two of nineteen districts and two city administrations of the zone [27]. Nearly 99% of the households in the five kebeles (kebele is the smallest administrative unit of a district) sampled from the two districts produced enset in the l2 months before the survey [28].…”

“…On top of this, the design effect of 1.5 was considered, and 10% of the basic sample size was added to compensate for those lost to follow-up, resulting in a total of 510. However, a total of 625 mothers with 24–59-month-old children were enrolled at the beginning in order to obtain a sufficient sample size for additional analysis [28]. Nonetheless, 578 completed the study, while the rest left for different reasons: death (1), delivery (4), and sickness or moving to other places (42).…”

“…Then, the sample size was distributed to each kebele using PPS. The samples were randomly selected based on the sampling frame prepared from a house-to-house listing of households with 24–59-month-old children [28].…”