Child dietary diversity and associated factors among children in Somalian IDP camps

Background: Malnutrition and food insecurity are major challenges in Somalia, particularly among small children living in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. Poor diet has been identified as key driver of malnutrition in young children who depend for their diets on their household’s socio-economic standing and access to food, as well as on the family’s caring and feeding practices. Objective: To assess the dietary diversity and identify the factors associated with it among children (6-23 months) in Somalian IDPs Methods: We used a cross-sectional survey conducted in eleven IDPs camps in Somalia in June 2014 and in June 2015. A total of 3188 children aged 6 to 23 months were surveyed. Child diets were assessed using food frequency questionnaires, and dietary diversity was categorized using the minimum child dietary diversity (MDDC) indicator. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify the factors associated with the children's dietary diversity. We built and compared two models using alternatively the household dietary diversity score and (HDDS) the food consumption score (FCS) as food security proxies. Results: Around 15% of children among IDP camps reached the minimum dietary diversity. Overall our results confirm that not only food security proxies are the factor more associated with MDDC, but HDDS performs better than FCS. In addition, results identified that: women as key decision-maker in the household, duration of household permanence in the settlement, women’s physiological status, frequency of milk feeding to child, type of toilet and measles vaccination were positively associated with MDDC. Conclusions: To improve child dietary diversity in IDP camps, food security interventions should be broadened to include female empowerment and inclusive nutrition education (encouraging male participation) programmes, as well as initiatives for targeting children who do not live with pregnant or lactating women, and that can support families beyond the first months after their arrival.

DI MARCANTONIO Federica;  CUSTODIO CEREZALES Estefania;  ABUKAR Yusuf; 

2020-04-03

SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC

JRC116898

0379-5721 (online),   

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0379572119861000,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC116898,   

10.1177/0379572119861000 (online),