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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health and Nutrition
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1348755

Geospatial pattern of level of minimum acceptable diet and its determinants among children aged 6-23 months in Ethiopia. Spatial and Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression analysis

Provisionally accepted
Tegene A. Kitaw Tegene A. Kitaw 1,2*Biruk B. Abate Biruk B. Abate 1Befkad Derese Befkad Derese 1Ribka N. Haile Ribka N. Haile 1
  • 1 College of Health Science, Woldia University, Woldia, Ethiopia
  • 2 Department of Nursing, College of Health Science, Woldia University, Woldia, Ethiopia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Despite prior progress and the proven benefits of optimal feeding practices, improving child dietary intake in developing countries like Ethiopia remains challenging. In Ethiopia, over 89% of children fail to meet the minimum acceptable diet. Understanding the geographical disparity and determinants of minimum acceptable diet can enhance child feeding practices, promoting optimal child growth.Methods: Spatial and multiscale geographically weighted regression analysis was conducted among 1,427 weighted sample children aged 6-23 months. ArcGIS Pro and Sat Scan version 9.6 were used to map the visual presentation of geographical distribution failed to achieve the minimum acceptable diet. A multiscale geographically weighted regression analysis was done to identify significant determinants of level of minimum acceptable diet. The statistical significance was declared at P-value <0.05.Results: Overall, 89.56% (95CI: 87.85%-91.10%) of children aged 6-23 months failed to achieve the recommended minimum acceptable diet. Significant spatial clustering was detected in the Somali, Afar regions, and northwestern Ethiopia. Children living in primary clusters were 3.6 times more likely to be unable to achieve the minimum acceptable diet (RR=3.61, LLR =13.49, P<0.001). Mother's with no formal education (Mean= 0.043, P-value= 0.000), family size above five (Mean= 0.076, P-value= 0.005), No media access (Mean= 0.059, P-value= 0.030), home delivery (Mean= 0.078, P-value= 0.002), and no postnatal checkup (Mean= 0.131, P-value= 0.000) were found to be spatially significant determinants of Inadequate minimum acceptable diet.geographically. Therefore, to improve child feeding practices in Ethiopia, it is highly recommended to deploy additional resources to high-need areas and implement programs that 3 enhance women's education, maternal healthcare access, family planning, and media engagement.

    Keywords: Geospatial pattern, Minimum acceptable diet, determinants, Children, Ethiopia

    Received: 03 Dec 2023; Accepted: 17 May 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Kitaw, Abate, Derese and Haile. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Tegene A. Kitaw, College of Health Science, Woldia University, Woldia, Ethiopia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.