DRIVERS OF FOOD CHOICE AMONG PASTORAL COMMUNITIES OF GUJI ZONE, OROMIA REGION, SOUTH ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Background: Food choice is based on the interactions between environmental and individual factors. Pastorals marginalized from national economies and political systems, their needs not adequately addressed in national planning. Undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, poverty rates, and food insecurity are high in pastorals because of poor food choice decisions which poorly understood. Food choice factors vary across population due to cultural diversity and socio-economic differences. Understanding food choice factors are important for socio-economically marginalized population such as pastorals whose dietary quality is often inconsistent with dietary recommendations. There is lack of research on food choice factors particularly in Guji zone pastorals. Thus, this study aimed to assess factors that influence food choice in Guji zone pastorals, Oromia region, South Ethiopia. Objective: Study aimed to assess drivers of food choice among pastoral communities of Guji zone, Oromia Region, South Ethiopia, from October 20 to November 30, 2021. Methods and Materials: A community-based cross-sectional study design applied among 353 randomly sampled households through an interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS Version 25. Descriptive statistics used to present socio-demographic characteristics. Principal component analysis conducted to reduce the factors into seven components. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measures of sampling adequacy (0.663) and Bartlett‟s test of sphericity (P < 0.05) used to check the factorability of data. Factors transformed and computed into seven factors based on the items that measure the factor and their mean calculated to see their influence in food choice. Results: The study showed that income, price, availability, convenience, household food production, familiarity and family size were the major drivers of food choice. Maize in all its forms is the most consumed staple food (87.6%) and the majority of households rate them self as they usually consume the same diets (94.6%), maize and its products. Consumption of vegetables and fruits was 17.8% and 6.2% respectively. Conclusion and Recommendations: The feeding habit of the community was usually the same diet and monotonous. Availability, income, price, family size, convenience, household production and familiarity were the common drivers of food choice. Utilization of underground water, dam/pond construction should be promoted for irrigation activities xi to produce food locally. Training of women development army‟s on feeding practice, income--transfer programs, food stamps, subsidized rations for poor households, family planning methods utilization are needed.