Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jan 29:12:1422563.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1422563. eCollection 2024.

Socio-economic inequalities in minimum dietary diversity among Ethiopian children aged 6-23 months: a decomposition analysis

Nigusu Worku  1 , Amare Mesfin Workie  2 , Lamrot Yohannes  3 , Mihret Getnet  4   5 , Wubshet Debebe Negash  1   6 , Adina Yeshambel Belay  1 , Lakew Asmare  3 , Hiwot Tadesse Alemu  1 , Demiss Mulatu Geberu  1 , Melak Jejaw  1 , Kaleb Assegid Demissie  1 , Misganaw Guadie Tiruneh  1 , Asebe Hagos  1
Affiliations

Socio-economic inequalities in minimum dietary diversity among Ethiopian children aged 6-23 months: a decomposition analysis

Nigusu Worku et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Globally, inappropriate feeding practices account for more than two-thirds of all cases of child mortality during the first 2 years of a child's life. For a long time, Ethiopia has suffered from the double burden of malnutrition: overnutrition and undernutrition both pose significant challenges, particularly for children. Undernutrition is mainly caused by wealth and educational disparities across the country. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the socio-economic inequalities in minimum dietary diversity (MDD) practices among Ethiopian children aged 6-23 months and the potential contributing factors.

Methods: The study utilized the recent datasets of the Ethiopia Mini Demographic and Health Survey (EMDHS) of 2019. A total of 1,511 weighted samples were included in the research. Microsoft Excel and STATA v.14 software were employed to extract, clean, and analyze data. A probit model decomposition analysis was performed. The concentration index (CIX) and curve were used to examine household wealth status and maternal education level inequalities in the MDD.

Results: The total weighted prevalence of MDD among children under the age of 5 in Ethiopia was 13.5%. Wealth and educational status show positive CIX values for inequality, as exhibited by the concentration curve under the equality line. The CIX with household and maternal education status were (CIX: 0.1034, p < 0.0029) and (CIX: 0.1057, p < 0.0002), respectively. This indicates a greater concentration of inequalities among privileged women. The decomposition analysis revealed that household wealth status, (58.23%) contributed by wealth status, (36.38%) place of delivery, (30.47%) maternal education, and (21.5%) administration region, explained the pro-rich inequalities in MDD in Ethiopia.

Conclusion: This study identified significant inequalities in terms of wealth and maternal educational level in the context of MDD. Policymakers and healthcare workers should develop effective strategies to tackle the underlying causes of inequalities in attaining MDD, specifically focusing on household wealth and maternal education.

Keywords: Ethiopia; concentration curve; concentration index; decomposition analysis; dietary diversity; inequities; socioeconomic inequality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cumulative percentage of minimum dietary diversity raked by wealth index children 6-23 months of age, in Ethiopia.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cumulative percentage of minimum dietary diversity raked by maternal education status of children aged 6-23 months, in Ethiopia.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Percentage contribution of socio-economic inequality of MDD in Ethiopia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Institute EPH : Assessment of status of infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practice, policy and programs: achievements and gaps in Ethiopia. (2016). Available at: http://repository.iifphc.org/handle/123456789/475
    1. Asif AM, Akbar M. A non-linear decomposition analysis of children’s dietary diversity scores: explaining rural-urban inequality. Qual Quant. (2023) 57:3273–84. doi: 10.1007/s11135-022-01501-x, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. United Nations Children’s Fund . (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank. Levels and trends in child malnutrition: UNICEF / WHO / World Bank Group Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates: Key findings of the (2023). New York: UNICEF and WHO.
    1. WHO . Global nutrition targets 2025: policy brief series (WHO/NMH/NHD/14.2). Geneva: World Health Organization. (2014).
    1. WHO Consultation on Obesity (1999: Geneva, Switzerland) and World Health Organization. (2000) Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic: report of a WHO consultation. World Health Organization. Available at: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/42330 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources