Child nutritional status, mothers’ nutritional knowledge and practice and Household food security status in Tehuledere Woreda, South Wollo, Ethiopia

Child under nutrition due to household food insecurity remains critical issues in many households in Ethiopia. Literature in nutrition knowledge and practice of mothers and the nutritional status of their infants is scanty. This study aimed to assess the nutritional status of six to 23-month-oldchildren, mothers’ knowledge, attitude and practice of child nutrition and household food security status in a semi-urban and a rural kebeles. A community based cross-sectional study was undertaken in semi-urban and rural kebeles in Tehuledere Woreda (district) to assess household food security and nutritional status of six to 23-month children. A total of 245 mother-child pairs were selected randomly from the two kebeles. Anthropometric indices were used to determine the nutritional status of under-two children. Child age, weight and height were measured and used to calculate weight-for-age, weight-for-height and height-for-age Z-scores. Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (ciaf) was calculated to determine total malnutrition. Household food insecurity access scale (hfias) was used to assess food security status. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data on mothers’ knowledge, attitude and practice in child nutrition, food diversity and child feeding. Data were statistically analyzed. Stunting was noted in 7.5% and 17% of under-two children in the urban and rural kebeles, respectively. Similar levels of thinness (6%) were observed in both kebeles. There were more under-weight children in the semi-urban (5.2%) than in the rural (3.6%) kebeles. Chronic energy deficiency was noted in 20% and 15% of the children in semi-urban and rural kebeles, respectively. ciaf was higher in children in the semi-urban kebele (48%) than in the rural kebele (31%). A small proportion of study households were food secure (17.9%). The rest were either mildly (54.4%) or moderately (27.8%) food insecure. Average knowledge of child nutrition among mothers in the semi-urban and rural kebeles was very low (about 34% and 37%, respectively).The low anthropometric measurements of the children in this study could be due to poor food diversity, insufficient food intake, and poor nutritional knowledge and practice of mothers. Creating awareness in child feeding practices and diet diversity is recommended. &nbsp

連続性を見据え多様性を受け入れる人びと -エチオピア・シダマ人による宗教的変化の経験-

京都大学0048新制・課程博士博士(地域研究)甲第16986号地博第138号新制||地||45(附属図書館)29661京都大学大学院アジア・アフリカ地域研究研究科アフリカ地域研究専攻(主査)教授 重田 眞義, 教授 太田 至, 准教授 山越 言, 准教授 木村 大治学位規則第4条第1項該当Doctor of Area StudiesKyoto UniversityDA

Gender Bias in the Academia: Experiences of Female Faculty in Public Universities in Ethiopia

The education sector policy of Ethiopia, recognizing the very low proportion of females in faculty positions in the academia (12% in  2015), advocates for increasing access for females to join faculty positions in Higher Educational institutions (HEIs). However, there is little analysis and documentation on the opportunities and challenges that female faculty face once they join the academia and less is known about the dimensions of gender equality concerns of female faculty members in HEIs in the country. With the objective of analyzing the experiences of female faculty in the academia, thereby exposing their challenges and experiences in selected public  universities of Ethiopia, the paper employs qualitative methods to understand how female faculty construct meanings out of their experiences of being a female faculty in Ethiopia’s HEIs. A total of sixteen in-depth interviews were held with female faculty from selected six universities complemented with one focus group discussion. The findings reveal that the challenges of female faculties emanate from complex gender relations that shape societal views and expectations about the proper role and place of women and men in society. Such widely held societal views and practices are, by and large, woven into the fabric of HEIs pretty much unaltered and unmodified. Governing polices in the education sector, particularly on higher education, the institutional culture as well as practicesand even personal dispositions of people in leadership deeply reflect this skewed nature of gender relations which often disadvantage women. While the policy framework advocates increasing access to females, there is an urgent need to focus not only on access but also on creating conditions for female faculty to thrive once within the system of HEIs. Key terms: gender bias, academia, experiences of female faculty, public universities, Ethiopi