Child undernutrition is a major public health problem in Ethiopia. Stunting is highest in food-insecure areas and insufficient evidence may impair the design of suitable interventions. This study aimed to identify key factors contributing to undernutrition among 6- to 23-mo-old children. A community-based cross-sectional study in food-insecure areas of Amhara and Oromia regions in April-June, 2018, enrolled 464 mother–child dyads. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted. The prevalence of stunting (43.1%), wasting (12.3%), and underweight (27.3%) were high. Factors significantly associated with both stunting and underweight were child age of 12–23 mo (vs 6–11 mo), female, more siblings, lack of zinc supplement for diarrhea, inadequate diet diversity, and lack of iodized salt in complementary food. Conclusions: Our findings support the need to emphasize appropriate child feeding practices and iodized salt utilization. Improvement of primary health care services related to micronutrient supplementation and family spacing also are important to address child undernutrition in the study area.

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is the gold standard of child feeding practice in which the infant only receives breast milk without any additional food or drink, not even water and it lasts up to 6 months after delivery. In the study area, there is a lack of data on the prevalence of cessation of EBF. Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study design was used among 292 mothers of infants aged 0–6 months. The data was collected using a pretested structured questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out. An odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was used to measure the strength of the association. Statistical significance was declared at P-value <0.05. Results: The prevalence of cessation of EBF was 57.3% with 95% CI [50.9–62.6]. This study showed being employed (working outside the home) (AOR = 2.44; 95% CI [1.32–4.53]), being rural residence (AOR = 1.87; 95% CI [1.05–3.32]), and inadequate knowledge of EBF (AOR = 2:02; 95% CI [1.19–3.43]) were independent predictors of cessation of EBF. Conclusion and Recommendation: Our data identified a higher prevalence of cessation of EBF in the study area compared to most studies in Ethiopia and elsewhere. Efforts on improving knowledge of the importance of EBF particularly in rural areas and support for breastfeeding-employed women are recommended.

Child malnutrition is the leading public health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa, resulting in poor health and economic losses. Ethiopia has one of the highest child undernutrition rates in the world that occurs to multifaceted factors, including food insecurity. Thus, we performed a cross-sectional study to assess the prevalence and risk factors for child undernutrition in largely food insecure areas of Ethiopia. Data were collected from 354 mother–child pairs from the Siraro district. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was used for statistical analysis. Variables with aP-value of <0⋅05 in multivariate analysis were used to detect statistical significance at a 95 % confidence level. About 67 % of households are food insecure. The prevalence of stunting wasting and underweight were 42⋅7, 9⋅9 and 27⋅7 %, respectively. Female gender, higher age of the child (12–23 monthsv. 6–11 months), living in a household with five or more siblings, not getting therapeutic zinc supplement at least once, inadequate diet diversity, lack of growth monitoring service, and maternal own income increases the likelihood of child undernutrition. It can be concluded that child undernutrition is a severe public health problem in the study area. Improving primary healthcare services related to zinc supplementation, growth monitoring and promotion, and improving infant and child feeding practices can be considered as a strategy to address the problem.

On a global basis, 144 million people are stunted, and in Ethiopia, it remains a major public health problem. A limited number of studies have been conducted at the national level and in the study area to generate information on stunting at birth. The present study investigated the magnitude and predictors of stunting among newborns delivered at the Public Hospitals of Hawassa City, Ethiopia. A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted between August and September 2021 among mothers and newborns (N 371). Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with the mother in a waiting room after the delivery of the child at the hospital. Newborn length and weight were measured and converted to length-for-age Z-score using WHO standards. The prevalence of stunting at birth (35 center dot 6 %) and low birth weight (24 center dot 6 %) were high. In the adjusted model, factors significantly associated with stunting were birth interval <2 years, low birth weight, inadequate dietary diversity and food insecurity (P < 0 center dot 01) mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) of mother <23 cm (P < 0 center dot 05). The high magnitude of stunting and low birth weight calls all stakeholders and nutrition actors to work on preventing maternal undernutrition and improving their dietary practice through nutrition education. It is also recommended to mitigate food insecurity with evidence-based interventions using a combination of measures. Additionally improving maternal health services including family spacing was recommended to reduce stunting and low birth weight among newborns in the study area.

Alcohol abuse among women is a public health importance that may impair prenatal and postnatal growth. Tella is among the most common homemade alcoholic beverages in rural Ethiopia, but little is known about the magnitude of tella intake during pregnancy and lactation or its effects on child growth. The present study investigated associations between maternal tella intake and the growth of their children. A cross-sectional mixed-methods study was conducted with mothers (n 228) and their 12-36-month-old children and with key informants (n 12). Tella intake during most recent pregnancy and lactation was estimated retrospectively by glasses per drinking event and frequency of events. Nearly 80 % of mothers had consumed some amount of tella during their most recent pregnancy and lactation. Furthermore, 72 % of children had tasted or drunk tella at some time during their life. Stunting was 42 % and was significantly associated with maternal tella consumption at least every other day during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 4.97, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 2.20, 11.25), male sex (AOR 2.31, 95 % CI 1.27, 4.19), two or more under-5-year-old children in the household (AOR 3.52, 95 % CI 1.49, 8.33) and family size >5 (AOR 1.84, 95 % CI 1.01, 3.36). Underweight was 24.6 % and was associated with the child drinking tella with their mother (AOR 4.23, 95 % CI 1.99, 8.97), being male (AOR 3.73, 95 % CI 1.73, 7.94), having >= 3 diarrhoeal episodes in the last 3 months (AOR 11.83, 95 % CI 4.22, 33.14) and being in the older age group (AOR 2.98, 95 % CI 1.09, 8.13). The associations between tella intake and child growth suggest the need to mitigate the effects of tella on child anthropometry.

Background Improving nutritional care and support for people living with HIV (PLHIV) is an integral part of comprehensive HIV treatment according to the National Nutritional Strategy of Ethiopia. However, there is no adequate published study that assesses the nutritional care and support services for adult people living with HIV/ AIDS (PLHIV) in this setting. Objective The objective of the study was to identify the existing nutritional care and support services and determine the challenges facing adults living with HIV at Hawassa Referral Hospital in southern Ethiopia. Methods A qualitative study was carried out using focus group discussions (FGDs), in-depth interviews and participant observation. Four FDGs were held and five in-depth interviews were conducted. A two-week participant observation was also conducted by trained nurses. All interviews and FDGs were tape-recorded and transcribed; those conducted in Amharic were translated back to English. Finally thematic analysis of the transcripts was performed. Results Most of the FDG participants were unsatisfied with their nutritional care and support services and expressed difficulty with disclosing their HIV status for fear of stigma and discrimination. The in-depth interviews and participant observation showed results similar to those of the FDG. Some key informants expressed a fear that such poor nutritional care and support may threaten the quality of life of people living with HIV and suggested that all stakeholders work on improving the services. Conclusion Current nutritional care and support services for people living with HIV are not well coordinated. They focus mainly on monthly supplementation of antiretroviral drugs and occasional handouts of food. The need to provide health education on antiretroviral drugs and nutrition, and to emphasise strategies aimed at improving the nutritional status of peoples living with HIV is critical. Furthermore, the study recommended strengthening the initiatives of some organisations regarding sustainable income-generating activities.