Spatial and temporal variations in women undernutrition in Ethiopia- A multilevel analysis.
population health
33
Issue: 1
(02 - 2019)
Background: Women's undernutrition is a major concern in many sub-Saharan African countries
including Ethiopia; however, little information exists on its spatial and temporal variation within
a single national context. This paper examines spatial and temporal variations in women's
undernutrition and its determinants in Ethiopia between 2000 and 2016.
Data source and methods: We use data from the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Surveys from 2000 to
2016. We used multilevel logistic regression models with region-level random effects to estimate
determinants of undernutrition.
Results: The results show substantial regional variations in women's undernutrition in Ethiopia,
which show mixed patterns over time. Also, the regional variations are significantly affected by
age, education level, marital status, wealth, occupational status and type of residence as well as
some aggregate factors. Undernutrition risks are considerably higher for teenage women, no
education, never-married, unemployed, and rural women, as well as women from poor households than
their counterparts. Additionally, in regions with lower levels of women's education, the risk of
undernutrition was higher.
Conclusions: Regional variations in women's undernutrition in Ethiopia are significantly determined
by individual sociodemographic, economic and community level characteristics. Policy decisions
should focus on bridging the regional disparities in the country, especially in areas that have
made little progress in reducing women's undernutrition.
Keywords: Spatial variations, women undernutrition, Ethiopia.
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