Determinants of Household Food Security and Maternal Dietary Diversity in Rural Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia: Results from a Cross-Sectional Study

Meskerem Jisso Ebido¹Sibhatu Biadgilign^2*Amare Abera Tareke³Taddese Alemu Zerfu⁴

• ¹Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, Ethiopia
• ²Public Health Nutrition Research Consultant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• ³Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Science, Wollo University, P.O. Box 1145, Dessie, Ethiopia, Dessie, Ethiopia
• ⁴International Food Policy Research Institute (FPRI) Addis Ababa Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background: In Ethiopia, food insecurity and poor dietary diversity continue to affect maternal and child health, particularly in rural regions.Objective: We examined the status and determinants of household food security and maternal dietary diversity in rural Gedeo Zone, southern Ethiopia.A cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected 422 households, and household food insecurity and women's dietary diversity was measured. We conducted bivariable and multivariable logistic regression.Results: In this study, 65.5% of mothers (95% CI: 60.7%-70.0%) and 27.9% (95% CI: 23.7%-32.5%) of households had adequate dietary diversity and food security respectively. Severe or moderate food insecurity predispose to inadequate dietary diversity, whereas, higher wealth status increased the odds of adequate dietary diversity. Maternal education increased the odds of adequate dietary diversity. Regarding household food insecurity, the size of the household having a member of 5-7 and 8-12 were 78% and 76% less likely to be food insecure among households compared to 1 -4 members size [OR = 0.22 (95%CI: 0.07,0.70)] and [OR = 0.24 (95% CI: 0.07,0.83)] respectively. Those household having high in women's dietary diversity were 83% less likely to have to food insecure among households compared to the lowest women's dietary diversity [AOR = 0.17 (95% CI: 0.10,0.31)].Household wealth status, maternal education, household food security status, pregnancy status were factors affected maternal dietary diversity. Family size and dietary diversity affected household food security status. Interventions should focus on maternal literacy, empowering women on income, assuring food security to increase maternal dietary diversity.