Dietary Outcomes, Nutritional Status, and Household Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Practices.

Background: The Government of Ethiopia has made a major commitment toward improving food security, diet, nutrition, and health through a series of national nutrition plans. The focus of these plans is on providing both nutrition-specific as well as nutrition-sensitive approaches for achieving national priorities for health and nutrition. The present study conducted a secondary analysis of data provided through a larger birth cohort study conducted in Ethiopia between 2014 and 2016.

The Role of Household Assets in Improving Women's Dietary Diversity in Ethiopia.

Background: ENGINE (Empowering New Generations for Improved Nutrition and Economic Opportunities) was a US Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded project implemented in Ethiopia from 2011 to 2016. ENGINE used a multisectoral approach to achieve the goals articulated in the Government of Ethiopia's National Nutrition Plan, among which is improvement in the dietary intakes of women and preschool-aged children.

Objectives: The objectives of the present research are 2-fold: ) to document trends in women's dietary diversity (WDD) and ) to identify factors associated with dietary diversity for women.

Household Decision-Making: Implications for Production, Consumption, and Sale of Nutrient-Rich Foods.

Household decision-making influences choices related to the production, sale, purchase, and consumption of nutrient-rich foods. The present study assessed the effect of household decision-making in 2 regions of Ethiopia within 2 groups of households, most vulnerable households and model farmer households. The study focused on identifying barriers and facilitators relating to decisions about nutrient-rich foods-in this case fruits, vegetables, and animal source foods.

Social and behaviour change communication to improve child feeding practices in Ethiopia.

Social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) interventions can positively affect optimal nutritional practices. This study evaluated the added value of a virtual facilitator tool to an enhanced community conversation (ECC) programme to improve infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practice among children under the Growth through Nutrition Activity programme in Ethiopia. The study used a quasi-experimental design with a control group.

A community-based randomized controlled trial providing weekly iron-folic acid supplementation increased serum- ferritin, -folate and hemoglobin concentration of adolescent girls in southern Ethiopia.

Adequate micronutrient status during adolescence can break the inter-generational cycle of malnutrition. This study evaluated the effect of community-based weekly iron-folic acid supplementation (WIFAS) on serum ferritin (SF), serum folate (SFol) and hemoglobin concentration (Hb) among adolescent girls. A community-based, individually randomized-controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in four villages of Wolaita and Hadiya zones.

Undernutrition and its determinants among adolescent girls in low land area of Southern Ethiopia.

Background: Undernutrition is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among adolescent girls worldwide, especially in South-East Asia and Africa. Even though adolescence is a window of opportunity to break the intergenerational cycle of undernutrition, adolescent girls are a neglected group. The objective of this study was to assess the nutritional status and associated factors among adolescent girls in the Wolaita and Hadiya zones of Southern Ethiopia.

Dietary Fluoride Intake and Associated Skeletal and Dental Fluorosis in School Age Children in Rural Ethiopian Rift Valley.

An observational study was conducted to determine dietary fluoride intake, diet, and prevalence of dental and skeletal fluorosis of school age children in three fluorosis endemic districts of the Ethiopian Rift Valley having similar concentrations of fluoride (F) in drinking water (~5 mg F/L). The duplicate plate method was used to collect foods consumed by children over 24 h from 20 households in each community (n = 60) and the foods, along with water and beverages, were analyzed for fluoride (F) content. Prevalence of dental and skeletal fluorosis was determined using presence of clinical symptoms in children (n = 220).

Assessment of selected nutrients and toxic metals in fruits, soils and irrigation waters of Awara Melka and Nura Era farms, Ethiopia.

The objective of the present study was to determine the levels of essential nutrients (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn) and toxic metals (Pb and Cd) in selected varieties of fruits (banana, grape, guava, mandarin and orange), farmland soils and irrigation waters to assess nutritional impact on health. The freeze dried fruits were digested using HNO3 and HClO4 and the levels of the elements determined using flame atomic absorption spectrometer. The highest amount of K (3480) and Mg (281) and the lowest amount of Na (6.

Comparison of the effects of conditional food and cash transfers of the Ethiopian Productive Safety Net Program on household food security and dietary diversity in the face of rising food prices: ways forward for a more nutrition-sensitive program.

Background: In light of the continuing rise in food prices during and after the 2008 world food crisis, whether food and cash transfers are equally effective in improving food security and diet quality is debatable.

Objective: To compare the effects of conditional food and cash transfers of the Ethiopian Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) on household food security and dietary diversity.

Methods: Data on household dietary diversity, child anthropometry, food security, and preference of transfer modalities (food, cash, or mixed) were generated from a cross-sectional survey of 195 PSNP beneficiary households (67 receiving food and 128 receiving cash) in Hawella Tulla District, Sidama, southern Ethiopia.

Clinical assessment of goiter and low urinary iodine concentration depict presence of severe iodine deficiency in pregnant Ethiopian women: a cross-sectional study in rural Sidama, southern Ethiopia.

Background: Maternal iodine nutrition during pregnancy is critical and deficiency during this period may compromise optimal fetal development.

Objective: To determine iodine status and knowledge of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) of pregnant women in rural Sidama, southern Ethiopia.

Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted in three kebeles which were selected randomly from the eight kebeles in the study area using probability proportional to size methods.

Iodine status and cognitive function of women and their five year-old children in rural Sidama, southern Ethiopia.

Objective: Iodine deficiency is one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies worldwide and is a major cause of preventable mental retardation. The purpose of this study was to assess the iodine status and cognitive function of women of childbearing age and their five-year-old children.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural village in southern Ethiopia.

The role of changing diet and altitude on goitre prevalence in five regional states in Ethiopia.

Objective: Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) as one of the leading nutritional problems has been increasing through time due to iodine deficiency, aggravating factors and IDD knowledge in many parts of Ethiopia. The effect of changing diet and altitude on goitre prevalence is assessed.

Methodology: Randomly selected five regional states (Amhara, Oromiya, Tigray, SNNP and Benshangul-Gumuz) were used to conduct cross-sectional study on IDD.

Prevalence of goiter in children 6 to 12 years of age in Ethiopia.

Background: Iodine-deficiency disorders are a major public health problem in Ethiopia. In conjunction with implementing control programs, baseline information needs to be established.

Objective: To investigate the distribution and degree of severity of iodine-deficiency disorders in terms of goiter prevalence, urinary iodine excretion (UIE) levels, and proportion of households with iodated salt in Ethiopia.

The goitre rate, its association with reproductive failure, and the knowledge of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) among women in Ethiopia: cross-section community based study.

Background: Iodine deficiency is severe public health problem in Ethiopia. Although urinary iodine excretion level (UIE) is a better indicator for IDD the goitre rate is commonly used to mark the public health significance. The range of ill effect of IDD is however beyond goitre in Ethiopia.