Feeding pattern and associated factors among children aged 6–23 months in the Tahtay Maichew district, northern Ethiopia

Shewit Engdashet Berhe, Teklit Grum, Teklehaymanot Huluf Abraha, Gebrekiros Aregawi, Ebud Ayele Dagnazgi, Kiros Gereziher Arefayne and Ermyas Brhane

PLOS Global Public Health, 2026, vol. 6, issue 2, 1-12

Abstract: The first one thousand days of life are a critical window of opportunity for children’s health and development. Nutritional deficiencies during this time can have serious consequences for the child’s health and development, with limited chances for correction later. For example, inadequate feeding among children can lead to consequences such as stunting, wasting, impaired immunity, and delayed cognitive development. Therefore, this study aimed to determine meal frequency and associated factors among children aged 6–23 months in the Tahtay Maichew district, northern Ethiopia. We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study involving 981 randomly selected mothers of children aged 6–23 months. Data were collected using a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. The children’s meal frequency was determined by asking mothers how many times their child had eaten food in the 24 hours preceding the survey. We used binary logistic regression with backward elimination to identify factors associated with children’s meal frequency. Overall, 68% (95% CI: 64.9, 70.9%) of the children received adequate meal frequency. Being from a rich household (p = 0.013, 95% CI = 1.12, 2.59), having growth monitoring follow-up (p

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pgph00:0003949

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0003949

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