UNHEALTHY DIETARY BEHAVIOUR AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN SELECTED SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN COUNTRIES

Abstract

Healthy diet is essential for optimal health and development. Zero consumption of fruits and vegetables and increased intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have been linked to the global burden of obesity and chronic disease. However, there is limited evidence on the burden and correlates of zero fruit/vegetable consumption and SSB intake among children and women in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This cross-sectional study used data from the 2019 Ethiopian Mini Demographic and Health Survey (weighted sample: 1,459 children aged 6–23 months) and IPUMS-PMA datasets from Burkina Faso and Kenya (3,759 women aged 15–49 years). Data were cleaned and analyzed using STATA version 14. Mixed-effect logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with dietary behaviors. In Ethiopia, 69.3% of children had zero fruit/vegetable consumption. Children from households with middle (AOR = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.35–0.86) and rich (AOR = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.23–0.60) wealth status, mothers aged 25–34 (AOR = 0.44; 95% CI: 0.29–0.69), and mothers with ≥4 ANC visits (AOR = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.39–0.83) had reduced odds of zero consumption. Children aged 12–18 months (AOR = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.28–0.59) and 19–23 months (AOR = 0.26; 95% CI: 0.17–0.40) also had lower odds. Higher odds were observed among children from peripheral regions (AOR = 4.40; 95% CI: 1.39–13.97) and those delivered at health facilities (AOR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.00–2.30). In Burkina Faso and Kenya, 50.4% of women consumed SSBs. Higher odds were found among women with primary (AOR = 1.35) and secondary (AOR = 1.46) education, employment (AOR = 1.28), savory/fried snack consumption (AOR = 1.61), and minimum dietary diversity (AOR = 1.67). Lower odds were seen among those with moderate (AOR = 0.74) and severe (AOR = 0.71) food insecurity. This study highlights concerning dietary patterns in SSA. Low fruit and vegetable consumption among Ethiopian children and high SSB intake among women in Kenya and Burkina Faso call for urgent public health interventions.