The Nexus between Household Food Security and Nutritional Status of Children under Five in Gelan Town, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
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Date
2020-10
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study aimed at investigating the nexus between household food security and nutrition status
of children under five in Gelan town, Oromia region, Ethiopia. A total of 100 mothers of under
five children were selected using stratified random sampling technique from three kebeles. Data
were collected using structured questionnaires and anthropometry. Household food insecurity
access scale (HFIAS) and household diatery diversity score (HDDS) were used to investigate
food security status of households. Likewise, anthropometric indices height for age (HFA),
weight for height (WFH) and weight for age (WFA) were used to determine the nutritional status
of under five children. Descriptive and inferential statistics as well as multivariable logistic
regression model were used to determine the association between household food security and
nutritional status of under- five children in the study area. The result indicated 8.2% of
households were food secure of which 29.05 % were severely food insecure while 27.86 % and
34.87% mild and moderately food insecure respectively. Majority of the households have
medium diatery diversity score (55%) while 24 % and 21 %of the households have high and low
dietary diversity score, respectively. Underweight prevalence was found to be 13% in the kebeles
among under-five children. Similarly, wasting prevalence was 4% and stunting prevalence was
7% in the kebeles among under-five children. Household dietary diversity, monthly income and
household’s food security access scale showed positive relationship with normal underweight,
normal stunt and normal wasting. Whereas, mother's occupation, farm land area, home garden,
education level of household head, breast feed, marital status, living home owner and household
head sex showed negative relationship with normal underweight, normal stunt and normal
wasting among study area. Monthly income shows positive relation with all the nutritional status
indicators. It is recommended that there is a need for communities to stand-in activities that
increase household income, which will in turn improve expenditure on child care, and
implications child nutritional status for better food and nutritional security in Gelan town
selected kebeles.
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Keywords
Food Security, Nutritional Status, Under Five Children, Anthropometric Indices, Dietary Diversity, Gelan Town, oromia, Ethiopia