Levels, Differentials and Determinants of Malnutrition Among Women in Ethiopia
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Date
2008-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The millennium development goal (MDG 5) of reducing maternal mortality by three quarters
between 1990 and 2015 is highly related with poor women 's nutritional stalus. Poor malernal
nutrition is directly associaled wilh mOlher's resistance to infeclion or malernal ill heallh during
pregnancy and child birth. Therefore providing obstetric care alone is nol going 10 be enough
solution for Ihe problem, unless olherwise poor women 's nutritional stalus is resolved. In depth
understanding women's nulritional slalus is therefore crucial in any attempl 10 allain Ihe goal of
reducing malernal mortality level and food security. In this regard, Ihis study examines the
levels, differentials and determinants of malnutrition among women in Ethiopia.
The main purpose of Ihe study is to assess the levels, socio-economic and demographic
differentials and to analyse their determinants. The paper uses the large data set from the 2005
Ethiopian demographic and health survey on 4080 non pregnant and non lactaling women aged
15-49 in rural and urban parts of the country. Women 's body mass index (Kg/m2) is used for the
purpose of analysing women's nutrilional stalus and those wilh BMI value less than 18.5 are at
risk of chronic energy deficiency (eED). Logistic regression model was employed at multivariate
analysis to idenlifY importanl delerminant factors of women's malnulrition.
The silidy reveals that 27. 6 percenl of Ihe women are malnourished of which 23.1 percent are
moderalely and 4.5 percenl are severely deprived. Levels were almost 2 times higher in rural
areas than urban areas. The study identifies women's age, parity, currenl marilal stalus, place of
residence, region, house hold economic slatus, occupation and women decision making
all/onomyas imporlanl factors in explaining Ihe varialion in women's nulri/ional sla/us. In rural
areas non educaled women in Ihe age group 15-19 and 45-49, living in regions Tigray,Gambella
Amhara Ben-shangul Gumuz and Somali are found /0 be under nourished. In urban areas
where as never married and divorced women, wilh poor and velY poor household economic
slalus living in regions Tigray and Gambella are al risk.
Hence 10 improve Ihe silualion Ihe Policy should focus on crealing mechanisms and
opporlunilies to increase agricullural produclion and women's educalion as well as providing
beller access 10 heallh care, particularly, in rural
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Keywords
Determinants of Malnutrition