BackgroundPregnancy is the most crucial nutritionally demanding period of every woman’s life. The high demand of nutrients to deposit energy in the form of new tissue, growth of existing maternal tissues such as breast and uterus and increased energy requirements for tissue synthesis makes pregnant women more vulnerable to malnutrition. Dietary practice is defined as an observable actions or behavior of dietary habit and can be classified as good dietary practices and poor dietary practices. The incidence of dietary inadequacies as a result of dietary habits and patterns in pregnancy is higher during pregnancy when compared to any other stage of the life cycle. Thus, this study aimed to assess dietary practices and associated factors during pregnancy in Bahir Dar town, Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsA community based cross sectional study was conducted from March 1 to April 1, 2016. A total of 616 pregnant women were participated in the study. All eligible pregnant women were identified through house-to-house visit with the help of health extension workers. Cluster sampling was used to select eligible pregnant women. The data were collected using interviewer administered questionnaire prepared in English and translated in to Amharic. Data were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with dietary practices.ResultThis study has shown that 39.3% of the study participants had good dietary practices and the rest 60.7% of pregnant women reported poor dietary practices. Concerning dietary knowledge, 61.4% of the study participants had good dietary knowledge while 38.6% had poor dietary knowledge. Husband income, ownership of radio, history of disease and dietary knowledge were shown to have significant association (P < 0.05) with dietary practices.ConclusionDietary practices of pregnant women in the study area was suboptimal. Husband income, ownership of radio, history of disease and dietary knowledge were independent predictors of women dietary practices. Awareness should be created among pregnant women by concerned bodies such as governmental and non-governmental organization through local mass media.

BackgroundMalnutrition has been responsible directly or indirectly for 10.9 million deaths worldwide annually among children under five. Childhood malnutrition is highly related to poor nutritional quality diet in developing countries where there is limited access to animal based foods. Most foods consumed by young children are cereal based which contain high amounts of anti-nutritional factors. Fermentation is thought to significantly lower the content of anti-nutrients in cereal grains. This study therefore, aimed to determine complementary feeding practices and effect of spontaneous fermentation on anti-nutritional factors and mineral contents of selected cereals.MethodsCross sectional survey was conducted in Ebinat district to determine complementary feeding practices among 324 lactating mothers. Laboratory analysis was carried out for teff and wheat cereal grains to determine the effect of spontaneous fermentation on anti-nutrients as well as mineral contents.ResultsPrevalence of appropriate complementary feeding practice was 1.5%. Fermentation of the sampled cereals for 12 h significantly (p < 0.05) reduced total phytate and total tannin. The reduction continued and most of the reduction of phytate and tannin contents occurred during the 72 h of fermentation for both cereal samples. However, the reduction for some fermentation times was not statistically significant. A significant (p < 0.05) variation was also noticed in the total amounts of calcium, iron and zinc in both sampled cereals within the 72 h of fermentation.ConclusionPrevalence of appropriate complementary feeding practice was very low. There were significant reductions of phytate and tannin contents with concomitant increments of minerals after fermentation of cereals. Phytate: mineral ratios were significantly decreased after fermentation for all the parameters examined. It is recommended to ferment cereals while preparing complementary foods for children so as to enhance their micronutrient uptake.

Background: Nutritional support is identified as one of the most critical and immediate needs for people living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). Adequate nutrition is vital to optimize response to medical treatment, manage opportunistic infections, maintain the immune system, and support optimal quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Evidence has shown that the progression of the disease could be slowed with good nutrition. Nutrition interventions increase compliance with treatment regimens and optimize the benefits of antiretroviral drugs. The nutritional knowledge, dietary practice and associated factors among adults on antiretroviral therapy are not well understood generally in Ethiopia and particularly in Bahir Dar City. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the nutritional knowledge, dietary practice and associated factors among adult PLWHA on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital. Methods: Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 13 to May 18, 2017 in Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select 539 adults on highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). Data were collected using a semi-structured and pretested questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out to identify factors associated with nutritional knowledge and dietary practice.Results: This study shows that 25.8, 52.5 and 21.7% of respondents had poor, average and good nutritional knowledge scores respectively. Ever heard about good nutrition and received dietary counselling were significant factors for nutritional knowledge. This study also reveals that 3.2, 66.4 and 30.4% of respondents had poor, average and good dietary practice scores respectively. Presence of gastrointestinal symptom, ever heard about good nutrition and good nutritional knowledge were significant factors for dietary practice. Conclusions: This study found that the magnitude of good nutritional knowledge and good dietary practice were 21.7 and 30.4%. Nutrition education and counseling should be given by health care workers for patients on ART to improve their nutritional knowledge. The media should also strengthen its role in disseminating nutrition information. The health professionals should routinely diagnose and treat gastrointestinal symptoms to maintain patients' appetite for food their by increasing dietary intake.

Background: Cancer has become a significant public health issue around the world and an increasingly important contributor to disease burdens. In countries like Ethiopia with high nutrient demands, people with chronic diseases like cancer are at a high risk of macro and micronutrient deficiencies. Therefore, the present study attempted to assess dietary diversity and associated factors among adult cancer patients attending treatment at Black Lion Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Method and Materials: Hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 22 April 2021 to 22 May 2021 on 416 adult cancer patients at Black Lion Specialized Hospital (BLSH). A systematic random sampling technique was applied to select study subjects. Quantitative data were collected using a structured, pretested and interviewer-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised the standard dietary diversity measurement tool, which was adopted from the Food and Technical Assistance (FANTA) then data were entered into EPI INFO software and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Frequency, mean and standard deviation were used to describe variables. A binary logistic regression model was fitted to elicit factors associated with the dietary diversity of cancer patients and a P-value of less than 0⋅2 was used as a cut-off for further analysis. Logistic regression analysis with a 95 % confidence interval (CI) was estimated to measure the strength of association at P < 0⋅05. Results: The present study revealed that 61⋅5 % of patients had low dietary diversity. Being from a family size of five and more (AOR = 1⋅48, 95 % CI 1⋅28, 1⋅83), having no permanent income (AOR = 1⋅31, 95 % CI 1⋅15, 1⋅67), alcohol consumption (AOR = 3⋅97, 95 % CI 1⋅20, 13⋅1), not doing regular physical exercise (AOR = 1⋅83, 95 % CI 1⋅07, 3⋅12), lack of nutritional information (AOR = 2⋅23, 95 % CI 1⋅30, 3⋅82), poor nutritional knowledge (AOR = 1⋅84, 95 % CI 1⋅05, 3⋅25) and minimum meal frequency (AOR = 10⋅7, 95 % CI 5⋅04, 22⋅7) were factors associated with inadequate dietary diversity. Conclusion: The present study showed that the majority of cancer patients had low dietary diversity, suggesting that they are highly vulnerable to micronutrient deficiencies. Therefore, efforts should be strengthened to improve patients’ income level, access to nutrition information and nutritional knowledge.