Comparison of the Anemia Prevalence and Nutritional Status of Women of Reproductive Age in the Pastoralist and Agro-pastoralist Communities of Fafan Zone: Nutritional Benefits of Pastoral to Agro-pastoral Transformation,

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Date

2016-06

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

Pastoralism is a subsistence system/ill' producing meat, milk, and other animal products/i'om domesticated animals such as goats, sheep, cattle, and camels. These livestock contributes the lion's share to the livelihood of the people in Somali region, it is practiced in marginal areas where crop production is extremely difficult. Pastoralist diets generally change seasonally and infer-annually with changing climatic and socioeconomic circumstances. Animal products make up the majority of the diet for pastoral populations that depend heavily on livestock and are important source of protein. Grain comprises a small portion of these diets and milk is dietary stable among pastoral communities. Agro-pastoralism is a set of practices that combine pastoral livelihoods with production of diverSified crops like millet, sorghum, maize, vegetables, /i"uits and pulses (annual legumes). Agro-pastoralists communities are relatively stable having better income and dietmy types, adequate health service and education that can positively impact their nutritional status. Thus, we assume that compared to pastoralists, agro-pastoralists are belfer in nutritional slat us as they can obtain animal source foods, can grow /i"uits, vegetables and cereal crops. There(ore the purpose ()(this study is to assess the nutritional differences (j( pastoralists and agf'() pastoralists. 'l 'his cross sectional sludy involving 400 reproductive age women was conducted hetween February to April. The study was conducted in Fafan zone, which is one of the nine zones in somali region. 7'1e study assessed the prevalence ()f anemia and nutritional slatus of women oj" reproductive age in pasloral and agro-pastoral communities. Nutritional status was evaluated using anthropometric parameters. Hemoglobin was measured using the Hemo Cue phOlometer (201), sociodemographic data, dietmy diversity, morbidity and household in(ood security was assessed using interview method. 0/ all the studied women, mean age was 22.3(2. 7). Majority of women 90% were not educated, source of drinking water in both areas was mainly from borehole, dug well, spring ])later and only 27% ()l the households had drinking water Fum tap. All of the households interviewed in the pmtoral woreda have no access to electricity, whereas the agro-pastoral ])Ioreda 73.5% has access 10 electricity. About 56% 0/ the surveyed hou.\·eholds used pitlalrines and outdoor toilel/acilities. Dumping in the open space and burning were the major ways o/ "Faste di:,posal. Overall around 15% o/the women had meal alone time during.l'urvey, (53.2%) had meal two times a day and 31.8 had three times a day. The mean die tmy diversity s<.:ore ol women in both areas was 1.20(0.021). Overall around 8/% 0/ studied participants had one to /1vo food groups, 17.8% had two to three food groups 011 only 1.5% consumed 1I10re than five food groups. For the animal source products 98.4% f rom the pastoral and 74./% agro-pastoral women relied heavily on milk consumption than meat due to it's availability and low cost. During the survey only 10.5% of the respondents consumed meat in the ogra-pastoral woreda. About 26.5% 0/ the agro-pastoralist women had meal two times and 73.5 % had a meal three times perday. The fi'equency of eating one meal perday was high among pastoralist women 23.7%, 68.8% had mea/two times and 7.5% had (I meal three times perdoy. Among agropastoralist women about 70% 0/ the women had one to Iwo .food groups, 27% had a three to /ourfood groups and 2. 7% had more diversifeidfood . About 87% a/the women in pastoral woreda had one to Iwo food groups, /2.3% had three to lour .food groups and only 0.8% had more thanfive/ood groups. From {he resulls significant differences of the dietary diversity were observed in the pastoral and agro-pastoral women Chi= 17.31 with p <O.OOO. For the BMI of the women, about 79% o/"the agro-pastoral women were normal weight, (16.3%) were underweight and (4.8%) h'err! overweight. 911 the other hand, 57.3% of women in pastoral area had normal weight, 41.9% were under nourished. As the binmy logistic regression result ShOll'S, the pastoraiisl women\' BMlwas associated with orea lived, housholdfood insecurity ami daily consumptiON olmo,'" than one cup olmilk. The prevalence of all types of anemia was high among women living in paslOral areas compared to the agropastoralist women. Therefore, the result ollogistic regression shows among several factors associated with lVomen's anaemiaJ women who consumed 10111 diversified diet were significantly associated with low hemoglobin level, daily more than two cups of milk consumption, householdfood insecurity and place of reSidence were also associated wilh pasloralis! women's low hemoglobin level. To sum up beller nutritional status and hemoglobin level was observed among the agropastoralists women compared to pastoralist lIIomen. There is a need /01' resettlement program, as the result olthis sludy sh01\ls, !he agropaslOralism contributes to the better nutrition there is a need to resellie pastoral areas so thaI to increase dietmy diversity and to avoid household food insecurity so as to achieve belfer nutritional status e,\pecial/y women of child bearing age. Hence as young ji/ture mothers,II'O/llen in ihis uge needs nutrition education, awareness about the impact oj dietO/)1 inadequacies on healih and wellbeing o/Ihe lVomen, health service, source of pure waleI', beller income andj ob creation in the pastoral areas of the region and nation.Key words: Undernutrition, Reproductive age, Anemia, Agro-pastoralist, Pastoralists.

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Keywords

Undernutrition, Reproductive age, Anemia, Agro-pastoralist, Pastoralists

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