Household Food Security, Dietry Diversity and Associated Factors among Pregnant Women in Addis Keteam Sub-City, Addis Ababa
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Date
2025-03
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Food insecurity and undernutrition among pregnant women are pressing challenges in Ethiopia today, yet they remain underexplored, especially in urban areas like Addis Ababa, Addis Ketema sub-city. This research assessed the household food security status, dietary diversity, and associated factors among 389 pregnant women attending antenatal care at four purposefully selected public health centers in Addis Ketema sub-city. The geographical location and the case load of the health centers were considered for the selection of the health centers. Household food security was measured using the USAID FANTA’s Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), while dietary diversity was assessed using the FAO’s Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W). Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 26, applying both descriptive and inferential statistics. The ordered logistic regression model assessed factors influencing household food security levels, while binary logistic regression evaluated factors affecting dietary diversity among pregnant women. The results showed that 81.0% of the households were food secure, while 14.1% were food insecure, 4.1% moderately food insecure, and 0.8% severely food insecure. Ordinal logistic regression identified monthly income (p < 0.001), housing type (B = 1.71, p = 0.006), access to credit services (B = 1.154, p = 0.034), and social security (B = 0.368, p = 0.037) as significant predictors of household food security. Regarding dietary diversity, 63.2% of pregnant women consumed a diverse diet, while 36.8% did not. Binary logistic regression indicated that the husband’s education (Exp(B) = 1.522, p = 0.039), the husband’s involvement in private business (Exp(B) = 2.243, p = 0.007), and pregnant women's occupations (Exp(B) = 2.015, p = 0.045) were significant factors influencing dietary diversity. The study revealed a significant association between household food insecurity and lower dietary diversity. Although most households were food secure, the presence of food insecurity in some indicates the need to improve education, employment opportunities, income generation activities, housing, and social security services.
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Keywords
Household, Food Security, Pregnant Women, MDD-W, HIFAS