Dietary diversity and associated factors among children 6-23 months of age in Gorche district, Southern Ethiopia: Cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Dietary diversity (DD) is useful indicator of dietary quality and nutrient adequacy. In developing countries limited evidence is available regarding predictors of DD during the critical complementary feeding period. The purpose of the study is to assess DD and predictors among children 6–23 months of age in rural Gorche district, Southern Ethiopia. METHOD: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 417 children aged 6–23 months in Gorche district. The children were selected using a stratified two-stage cluster sampling technique. DD in the preceding day of the survey was assessed using the standard 7-food group score without imposing a minimum intake restriction. Factors associated with DD were identified by modeling dietary diversity score (DDS) using linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Only 10.6% (95% CI: 7.6–13.6) of the children had the minimum recommended DD (≥4 food groups). In children born to literate fathers, the DD was increased by 0.26 as compared to their counterparts (p = 0.026). Children from households that grow vegetables and own livestock, the DDS was significantly increased by 0.32 (p = 0.032) and 0.51 (p = 0.001). As the age of the child increases by a month, the DD also increased by 0.04 (p = 0.001). Mothers that received Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) education during their post-natal care, the DDS was increased by 0.21 (p = 0.037). Unit increase in maternal knowledge on IYCF was associated with 0.41 rise in DDS (p = 0.001). Other factors that showed positive association were: mother’s participation in cooking demonstration, exposure to IYCF information on the mass media and husband involvement in IYCF. CONCLUSION: Nutrition education, promotion of husbands’ involvement in IYCF and implementation of nutrition sensitive agriculture can significantly enhance DD of children. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12887-016-0764-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.