The Social Stratification of Availability, Affordability, and Consumption of Food in Families with Preschoolers in Addis Ababa; The EAT Addis Study in Ethiopia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to understand the quality of diet being consumed among families in Addis Ababa, and to what extent social stratification and perceptions of availability and affordability affect healthy food consumption. Data were collected from 5467 households in a face-to-face interview with mothers/caretakers and analyzed using mixed effect logistic regression models. All family food groups, except fish were perceived to be available by more than 90% of the participants. The food groups cereals/nuts/seeds, other vegetables, and legumes were considered highly affordable (80%) and were the most consumed (>75%). Households with the least educated mothers and those in the lowest wealth quintile had the lowest perception of affordability and also consumption. Consumption of foods rich in micronutrients and animal sources were significantly higher among households with higher perceived affordability, the highest wealth quintile, and with mothers who had better education. Households in Addis Ababa were generally seen to have a monotonous diet, despite the high perceived availability of different food groups within the food environment. There is a considerable difference in consumption of nutrient-rich foods across social strata, hence the cities food policies need to account for social differences in order to improve the nutritional status of the community.

Residential Food Environment, Household Wealth and Maternal Education Association to Preschoolers’ Consumption of Plant-Based Vitamin A-Rich Foods: The EAT Addis Survey in Addis Ababa

“…Food preferences and traditional eating habits also influence food consumption habits. In Ethiopia, most families eat the staple diet that mainly consists of grains and legumes [50,51]; in this sense, a previous study also showed little difference in household dietary diversity even by wealth status except in the consumption of meat, fish, and fruits [19,35].…”

“…In the study city, fruits and vegetable are relatively expensive, thus they are beyond the purchasing capability of the poorest households [18]. Evidence from the wider study indicated most households in the lowest wealth quantile perceived the consumption of vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables as unaffordable [19]. Similarly, a study in Ghana also showed that children from poorer households were less likely to consume fruits and vitamin A-rich vegetables than children from the richest households [25].…”

“…Foods that are commonly available in the residential food environment have been shown to influence the eating behaviors of families and their children [17]. In Ethiopia, the limited affordability of vitamin A source foods groups in urban residential food environments was associated with lower intake of fruit and vegetables [18,19]. Improving availability of vitamin A-rich fruits, dark green leafy vegetables, and vitamin A-rich vegetables and roots is a food based strategy aiming to increase the consumption of carotene rich fruit and vegetables and to combat VAD [20,21].…”

Perceived neighbourhood food access is associated with consumption of animal-flesh food, fruits and vegetables among mothers and young children in peri-urban Cambodia

“…Our study contributes to the literature of urban nutrition by showing the correlation between perceived low food access and low animal-flesh food consumption in urban mothers and young children. One study conducted in urban Ethiopia also indicated the association between perceived affordability, but not perceived availability, with household consumption of meat and eggs (38) . Prior studies about rural farming communities have also found similar associations, although they often used physical measures of food access like distance and travel time to food markets (5) .…”

Production of Sustainable Proteins Through the Conversion of Insects to Proteins Using Beauveria bassiana Cultures

“…In many regions of the world, high food production costs constitute a barrier in choosing foods that meet nutritional requirements. Thus, threatening the health of the most vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the elderly, with the lower-income families choosing foods that do not meet nutritional requirements (Lo et al, 2009;Abdelmenan et al, 2020).…”