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. 2024 Dec 30;10(1):167.
doi: 10.1186/s40795-024-00985-0.

Consumption of vitamin A-rich foods among lactating mothers in Girawa district, Eastern Ethiopia

Nejib Ahmedteyib Adem  1 , Haymanot Mezmur  2 , Mohammed Jemal  3 , Dawit Firdisa  4 , Berhe Gebremichael  5
Affiliations

Consumption of vitamin A-rich foods among lactating mothers in Girawa district, Eastern Ethiopia

Nejib Ahmedteyib Adem et al. BMC Nutr. .

Abstract

Background: Inadequate consumption of vitamin A during lactation significantly increases the risk of vitamin A deficiency disorders. However, there is scarce evidence on the consumption status of vitamin A-rich foods among lactating mothers in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of inadequate consumption of vitamin A-rich foods and associated factors among lactating mothers visiting public health facilities for child immunization and postnatal care in Girawa District, Eastern Ethiopia.

Method: A facility-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 418 lactating mothers who visited public health facilities for child immunization and postnatal care in the Girawa district from January 20 to February 20, 2023. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was utilized to collect the data. The data were entered into EpiData version 4.6 and exported to STATA version 17 for analysis. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with inadequate consumption of vitamin A-rich foods.

Results: The magnitude of inadequate consumption of vitamin A-rich foods was 88.5% (95% confidence interval (CI): 85-92). A family size ≥ 4 (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.73, 95% CI = 1.18-6.33), low dietary diversity (AOR = 3.44, 95% CI = 1.36-8.70), household food insecurity (AOR = 3.66, 95% CI = 1.43-9.38) and having < 4 antenatal care (ANC) visits (AOR = 2.79, 95% CI = 1.10-7.06) were significantly associated with inadequate consumption of vitamin A-rich foods.

Conclusion: Nearly nine in ten mothers had inadequate intake of vitamin A-rich foods. High family size, low dietary diversity, household food insecurity and fewer ANC follow-up visits were the factors significantly associated with inadequate consumption of vitamin A-rich foods. Therefore, public health measures should focus on family planning, ANC, food security and nutritional counseling/education to improve the consumption of vitamin A-rich foods by lactating mothers.

Keywords: Ethiopia; Girawa district; Inadequate consumption; Lactating mothers; Vitamin A-rich foods.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval and informed consent: The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval was obtained from Haramaya University, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Institutional Health Research Ethics Review Committee (IHRERC) with reference number IHRERC/003/2023. Informed consent was obtained from the heads of health facilities and participants aged 18 years or older. For participants younger than 18 years of age, informed consent was obtained from their respective parent(s)/guardian(s). The confidentiality and privacy of the study participants were ensured through the use of an anonymous questionnaire.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Maternal nutritional knowledge of lactating mothers visiting child immunizations and PNC clinics in public health facilities in Girawa district, Eastern Ethiopia 2023 (n = 418)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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