Fathers’ Involvement in Child Feeding Practice and Its Associated Factors Among Fathers Having Children Aged 6-24 Months in Worabe Town Administration, Silte Zone
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Date
2025-06-04
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Background: Optimal child feeding is crucial for the health and development of infants and young
children, significantly impacting growth and survival rates. However, there is a notable gap in
understanding the responsibility of fathers in child feeding practices. Addressing this gap is essential
for creating effective interventions that encourage paternal engagement, ultimately enhancing child
well-being.
Objective: The objective of this study was to assess fathers' involvement in child feeding practices and
to identify contributing factors among fathers of children in Worabe Town administration who are
between the ages of 6 and 24 months.
Methods: community-based cross-sectional study, supplemented by qualitative methods, was
conducted in Worabe Town Administration from February 20 to march 20, 2025.Participants in the
study were chosen using a systematic random selection technique, and data was gathered through in
depth interviews until the information was saturated for the qualitative component and in-person
interviews using a standardized questionnaire for the quantitative component After its completeness is
checked. Data were entered into Epi Data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 27 then descriptive
s were calculated. Bi variate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to identify
factors associated with fathers' involvement in child feeding. In bivariate analysis variables with a p
value of ≤ 0.25 were included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis at a 95% confidence
range.A significant association was declared when the p-value was less than 0.05. Qualitative data was
manually analyzed by summarizing key themes and ideas expressed by participants.
Results: The study revealed that 42.1% of the respondents were involved in child feeding. Factors
significantly associated were urban residence(AOR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.88–3.57), secondary or higher
education levels among fathers (5.2;95% CI: 2.59-10.46) and (5.4; 95% CI: 2.40,12.14), higher
women’s education(AOR = 2.94; 95% CI: 1.24–6.98), having a male child (AOR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.18
2.69), daily laborer occupation(AOR=0.3; 95% CI: 0.13–0.64), good fathers knowledge (AOR = 1.73;
95% CI: 1.18–2.52) and positive attitude (AOR = 2.1;95% CI:1.4–3.1),supportive community
encouragement (AOR=1.7;95%CI;1.16-2.44).
Conclusion: According the findings of this study, it showed that that the level of fathers’ involvement
in child feeding remains low.highlighting these findings, it is important to implement targeted
interventions that promote awareness and education among male partners.
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Keywords
Father’s involvement, Child feeding, Associated factor