Eating Behaviors and Associated Factors among Under Five Years Children at Jimma Town, Jimma, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Early childhood is the ideal time to establish healthy eating habits as well as a critical time for complete physical and mental development. Eating behaviors evolve during the first years of life; children learn what, when, and how much to eat through direct experiences with food and by observing the eating behaviors of others. It is important to keep an eye on children's eating habits to prevent any nutritional deficiencies, which have been linked to a higher risk of developing diseases including obesity, type2diabetes, and other conditions. However, there is no study and evidence about eating behavior and associated factors among under five years’ children in the Jimma town, Ethiopia. Objective: This study is aimed to assess eating behaviors and associated factors among under- five years children at Jimma town, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia, 2025. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among under-five years children in Jimma town from February 05, 2025 to March 20, 2025. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. A total of 576 participants included in this study by using a structured questionnaire. Epi-data manager 4.6 for data entry and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 was used for data analysis. Logistic regression model was used to identify the association between the outcome variable and explanatory variables. The strength of association between dependent and independent variable was determined by (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals and statistically significant association was declared at P-values < 0.05. Results: The prevalence of poor eating behaviors among under-five children in Jimma Town was 45.0% (95%CI: 40.8-49.2). Mothers who have Diploma or higher education (AOR = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.04–5.14), Mothers experienced illness during pregnancy (AOR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.05 3.33),Children whose mothers did not attend postnatal visits (AOR = 1.69; 95% CI: 1.16 2.46),Children aged 6–11 months (AOR = 1.59; 95% CI: 1.01–2.52), children with a previous history of illness (AOR = 3.71; 95% CI: 1.16–11.9), and children from poor wealthy households (AOR = 1.85; 95% CI: 1.05–3.25) were identified as factors associated with poor eating behaviors among under five years old children in Jimma town. I Conclusion: Nearly half of the under-five children in Jimma Town exhibited poor eating behaviors. Low maternal education, maternal illness during pregnancy, lack of postnatal care, younger child age, previous illness in the child, and low household wealth were identified as factors associated with poor eating behaviors among under- five years old children in Jimma town.