Sociodemographic Determinants of Dietary Diversity and Meal Frequency Among Mothers/Caregivers Paired with Infants and Child Age 6 to 23 Months

Abstract

Introduction: optimal balancing feeding plays crucial role in fighting childhood undernutrition, infectious disease, and mortalities. Globally, just about semi of all children are doesn’t received recommended meal frequency (MMF). Furthermore, only twenty-nine percent of child getting diversified diet in world wide. However, sociodemographic factors associated with recommended meal frequency and minimum dietary diversity (MDD) among infants and children aged between 6 and 23 months existing in study district is unknown. Objectives: this study was aimed to identify sociodemographic factors towards minimum meal frequency and dietary diversity (DD) among infants and children aged between 6 and 23 months in Gimbichu woreda East Shoa zone Oromia, Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 782 mothers/caregivers paired with infants and children aged 6 to 23 month with a response rate of 97.1%. Data was collected from March 12 to April 08, 2019. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analysis were applied for both MDD and MMF to identify socio-demographic factor associated with them. Results: Mothers’ who have attended secondary and above education [AOR=2.52, 95%CI (1.65, 8.34)], mothers’ who have attended primary education [AOR=1.53, 95%CI (1.26, 4.21)], fathers who have attended secondary and above education [AOR=2.39, 95% CI (1.22, 3.75), family size from 1-3 children [AOR=3.07, 95% CI: (1.42, 6.64)], 4-6 number of children [AOR=2.93, 95%CI (1.5, 5.46)], mothers’ belonged to richest [AOR=2.67, 95%CI (1.74, 3.79)] and richer wealth quintiles [AOR=1.87, 95%CI (1.33, 3.47) was positively associated with MDD. Whereas, mothers’ who had age category of 35-49 years [AOR=1.54, 95%CI (1. 32, 3.29)], fathers who have attended secondary and above education [AOR=2.9, 95% CI (1.06, 5.22), mothers whose wealth status were richest level [AOR=1.47, 95%CI (1.13, 3.185)], and mothers were married and living with their husbands [AOR=4.13, (95%CI; (1.31, 13.07)] was positively associated with MMF. Conclusion: Unmet diversified diet was attributable to unable to read and write, family size of > 7, and household belonged to poorest one. MMF practice was attributable to mothers’ who had age category of 35-49, fathers who have attended secondary and above education, and richest level household. Encouraging paternal education and promoting household wealth status on infant and child feeding are vigorously recommended to alleviate the problem.