Abstract:
Background: Women's empowerment is a recognized determinant of child nutrition, yet the
specific pathways through which it influences nutritional outcomes remain unclear. Cultural and
religious factors influence empowerment levels, making finding from other locations difficult to
generalize.
Objective: This study aimed to assess women Empowerment and Child undernutrition aged 6
59 Months and its perceived contribution in Chiro Town, Oromia region Ethiopia:
Methods: A community-based comparative cross-sectional with Quantitative and a
Phenomenological with qualitative study, was conducted. A total of 400 mother-child pairs (132
empowered and 268 non-empowered women) were selected. Using a two-stage sampling
technique. Data were collected via structured questionnaires, anthropometric measurements, and
dietary assessments. Qualitative data were gathered through FGD and KII. Data analysis involved
descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multinomial logistic regression using SPSS, with
qualitative data analyzed thematically.
Results: Result: Study revealed that there was a high burden of malnutrition among children
aged 6-59 months. The prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting was 31.25% 24.75% and
16% respectively. Children of non-empowered women had higher rates of stunting (33.96% vs
25.76%) underweight (25.76% vs 16.67%) and wasting (17.16 vs 13.64). Empowered women had
higher rate of health facility delivery (84.85% vs 64.18%) and better latrine availability (59.8%
vs 40.9). Empowered household exhibited significantly higher dilatory diversity (90.91% vs
51.49%) and consumption of ASF (59.85% vs 24.25%). Finding demonstrate that women’s
empowerment is significantly associated with improved nutritional outcome of children.
Conclusion and Recommendation: While optimal nutrition is predominant, children of non
empowered mothers face a slightly higher risk of under-nutrition. Maternal empowerment
through decision-making, economic agency and education is pivotal for improving child nutrition.
