Gender diferences in nutritional status and determinants among infants (6–11 m): a cross-sectional study in two regions in Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: A limited number of studies suggest that boys may have a higher risk of stunting than girls in low income countries. Little is known about the causes of these gender diferences. The objective of the study was to assess gender diferences in nutritional status and its determinants among infants in Ethiopia. Methods: We analyzed data for 2036 children (6–11 months old) collected as the baseline for a multiple micronutri ent powders efectiveness study in two regions of Ethiopia in March–April 2015. Child, mother, and household char acteristics were investigated as determinants of stunting and wasting. Multiple logistic regression models were used separately for boys and girls to check for gender diferences while adjusting for confounders. The study is registered at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ with the clinical trials identifer of NCT02479815. Results: Stunting and wasting prevalence is signifcantly higher among boys compared to girls, 18.7 vs 10.7% and 7.9 vs 5.4%, respectively. Untimely initiation of breastfeeding, not-exclusive breastfeeding at the age of 6 months, region of residence, and low maternal education are signifcant predictors of stunting in boys. Untimely introduction to com plementary food and low consumption of legumes/nuts are signifcant predictors of stunting in both boys and girls, and low egg consumption only in girls. Region of residence and age of the mother are signifcant determinants of wasting in both sexes. Analysis of interaction terms for stunting, however, shows no diferences in predictors between boys and girls; only for untimely initiation of breastfeeding do the results for boys (OR 1.46; 95%CI 1.02,2.08) and girls (OR 0.88; 95%CI 0.55,1.41) tend to be diferent (p=0.12). Conclusion: In Ethiopia, boys are more malnourished than girls. Exclusive breastfeeding and adequate dietary diver sity of complementary feeding are important determinants of stunting in boys and girls. There are no clear gender interactions for the main determinants of stunting and wasting. These fndings suggest that appropriate gender sensitive guidance on optimum infant and young child feeding practices is needed.