Household Dietary Diversity Practice and Associated Factors among Rural Residents of Gedebano Gutazer Welene District, South Nation Nationality People Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Dietary diversity is essential for household welfare as well as for accomplishing other developmental activities. Poor Household Dietary Diversity is public health problem among poor populations in the developing countries throughout the world. Low household dietary diversity and low-quality monotonous diets often face other challenges related to food insecurity including poor health and a decline in productivity which makes vicious cycle between undernutrition and decreased productivity. However, there is paucity of information on household dietary diversity practice and associated factors among rural residents in low-income countries. There is also lack of study done in the Gedebano Gutazer Welene District Objective: The objective of the study is to assess the prevalence of household dietary diversity practice and associated factors among rural residents of Gedebano Gutazer Welene District, South Nation Nationality People Region, Ethiopia, from March 1 to April 1, 2019 Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was used. Five Hundred fifty four households were selected randomly to be involved. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data from rural resident who preapare food for the family. Bivarable logistic regression analyses were used to see the association between dependent and each independent variable. Multivariable Logistic regression analysis was used to control for all possible confounders and identify factors independently associated with household dietary diversity. Odds ratio along with 95%confidence interval was used to measure the strength of the association. Level of statistical significance was declrared at p-value less than 0.05. Result: The prevalence of adequate household dietary diversity was 28.3 %( 95% CI: 24.4%- 32.1%). Having off-farm employment [(AOR=1.94, 95% CL: (1.3, 2.89)], having access to credit [(AOR=1.74, 95% CI: (1.15-2.63)], havinghome garden [(AOR=2.1, 95% CI: (1.3-3.42)] and having good knowledge on nutrition [(AOR=1.73, 95% CI: (1.14-2.63)]were significantly associated with the adequate household dietary diversity Conclusion: The prevalence of adequate household dietary diversity was low in the study area. However, it was more common among participants having off-farm employment, access to credit, home gardening practice and good knowledge of nutrition Therefore, efforts should bemade to improve off-farm employment opportunitiest, access to credit, nutrition knowledge, and home gardenig practice to increase household dietary diversity.