Household dietary diversity across regions in Ethiopia: Evidence from Ethiopian socio-economic survey data

Abstract

Background Household food and nutrition insecurity continued to be a development and policy agenda in Ethiopia. Assessing the patterns and determinants of household dietary diversity is an important area of research given its importance for policy uptake in the country. This study is, therefore, initiated to identify the dominant food groups consumed by households and to investigate the determinants of household dietary diversity in the country. Method We used data from the 4th wave of the Ethiopian socioeconomic survey. The survey data for this study included 3,115 households living in rural areas (hereafter called ‘rural households’). Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) was calculated and categorized as per the FAO’s recommendation: low HDDS category for those who consume three or less food groups, medium HDDS for those who consume four to six, and high HDDS for those who consume seven and more food groups during the past seven days. Ordinal logistic regression model was employed to estimate the determinants of rural household’s dietary diversity. Results Cereals were the most dominant food group consumed by 96.4% of the households followed by pulses, which was consumed by 82% of the households Nutrition-dense food commodities such as lean meat, vegetables and fruits were the least consumed food groups by households in Ethiopia. In terms of determinants of dietary diversity, female headed households have 38% more chance of consuming diverse foods compared to their male-headed counterparts (AOR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.73). Household heads who completed secondary education and above have 62% more chance of consuming diverse foods compared to uneducated household heads (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.2, 2.30). Household heads who are single have 37% less chance of consuming diverse foods compared to those household heads who are married (AOR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.50, 0.80). Those households located in Harari regional state and in the rural surroundings of Diredawa town have 6.56 times more chance of consuming diverse foods compared to those households living in Tigray and Amhara regional states (AOR = 6.56, 95% CI: 4.60, 9.37). The results also highlighted that households who are in the upper wealth category have 9 times more chance of consuming diverse foods compared to those households who are the lower wealth category (AOR = 8.54, 95% CI: 6.79, 11.98).

The Status of Food Insecurity at the Household Level in the North-Eastern Highlands of Ethiopia

“…85.1% of the households consumed pulse for three to seven days and 34.9% for three to four days. The result agrees with the studies by Atara, Tolossa [1] and Jateno, Alemu [56]. Likewise, only 3.1% of households consumed fruit for five days or more, and 48.8% of households consumed it for one to two days, while 40.3% have not eaten this group.…”

“…A study by Atara, Tolossa [1], in southern Ethiopia, revealed that nearly 99% of the households consumed this food group. Moreover, according to Jateno, Alemu [56], in Ethiopia, the most dominant food group consumed by 96.4% of the households was cereals followed by pulses, with an 82% consumption level. Only 0.6% of the surveyed households had consumed vegetables for five or more days within the seven days and 6% of the households consumed it for three to four days.…”

A comprehensive analysis of food insecurity in the drought–prone rural areas of Tigray

“…The Ethiopian socio-economic survey data reported by Jateno et al [ 26 ] revealed that cereals and pulses were the most dominant food groups consumed by 96.4 and 82% of the households in Ethiopia, respectively. The same source reported that food commodities like meat and fruits were the least consumed food groups by households in Ethiopia.…”

Food safety and dietary diversity in African urban cities: evidence from Ghana

“…The finding is corroborated by Thorne-Lyman et al [ 45 ], who found that household size positively correlates to dietary diversity and negatively correlates to per capita monthly total food expenditure. Household size can positively affect dietary diversity because, with many household members and their varied ages, the household is likely to have higher income and consume food with high dietary diversity to meet members’ nutritional needs [ 101 , 102 ]. Conversely, household size can negatively affect household dietary diversity.…”