Abstract:
ackground: Nutritional status of women is particularly important, because it is through women
and their off-spring that the pernicious effects of malnutrition are propagated to future
generations. The extra calories and nutrients required to support breastfeeding makes lactating
mothers among groups with special nutritional needs. Nevertheless, many African lactating
mothers, including Ethiopians, remained to be undernourished and micronutrient deficient and
there is scarcity of studies on the area both in Ethiopia and in the study area..
Objectives: This study was aimed at assessing factors associated with nutritional status of
lactating mothers living under HFP-CCC (Home-based food production and child centered
counseling) project Kebeles in Dedo and Seqa-Chekorsa districts of Jimma zone, south-west
Ethiopia from Feb. 3 to March 2, 2014.
Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Feb. 3 to March 2, 2014
on 355 lactating mothers who were beneficiaries of the HFP-CCC project. Data on demographic
characteristics and nutritional risk factors were gathered through structured interview, whereas
anthropometry and hemoglobin concentration measurements were done to assess nutritional
status. Data were entered using Epi-data manager and client entry version 1.4.4.0 and analyzed
using SPSS for windows version 20. Percentages and means (SD) were used to describe the
study population by nutritional status and explanatory variables. Logistic regression was used to
identify the predictors of underweight and ane+mia among the explanatory variables.
Result: The mean (SD) dietary diversity score of study participants was 4.9(1.9). Majority of
study participants ate cereals in the preceding 24 hour of data collection. 92% of study
participants didn’t eat additional meal other than common family meal. 40.6% of lactating
mothers were underweight and 27.8% were anemic. Maternal dietary diversity score (IWDDS)
was identified as predictor of undernutrition whereas educational status and dietary diversity
were predictors of anemia.
Conclusion: Feeding practice of study participants was poor while undernutrition and anemia
were high among participants so that HFP-CCC project, woreda health offices, health extension
workers and other responsible sectors have to give due attention to improve the situation.
