Abstract:
Background: Essential nutritional action (ENA) framework explains nutrition through life cycle
approach. One thousand days of a child‘s life are particularly important, as optimal nutrition
during this period decreases morbidity and mortality, lowers the risk of chronic disease, and
fosters good child development. Infants and children under two years require a diet that is
sufficiently dense in energy and nutrients to maintain the process of rapid growth during this
stage of life. However, there is limited evidence regarding the practice of essential nutritional
action and its associated factors in Ethiopia and specifically in study area.
Objective: To assess practice of essential nutritional action key messages and associated factors
among mothers of children less than 2 years in Ejere district, West Shewa zone, Ethiopia 2022.
Methods: Community based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 562 mothers of
children from birth up to 2 years in Ejere district from June 10, 2022 to July 09, 2022. A
multistage sampling method was employed. Structured and pre-tested questionnaire was used to
collect the data through interviewing technique. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression
analysis were carried out to asses association between outcome and predictor variables. Adjusted
odd ratio with 95% confidence interval was used to see the strength of association and statistical
significance was declared at p-value of <0.05
Result: The prevalence of good ENA key messages practice was 53.3 %( 95% CI: 49.1-57.48).
Educational status of mother (AOR:=2.328;95%CI(1.186-4.57)), mother‘s level of knowledge on
ENA key messages (AOR:=5.468;95% CI(2.657-11.253)) and attitude towards ENA messages
(AOR:=4.260;95%CI(2.203-8.242)) and nutritional related information(AOR:=3.688; 95% CI
(1.668-8.152)) were factors significantly associated with ENA key messages practice.
Conclusion and recommendation: The overall practice of key ENA messages in the study area
is higher than previous studies in Ethiopia. Maternal education status, mothers‘ level of
knowledge on ENA message, and attitude towards ENA message and maternal nutritional related
information were identified as significant predictors of ENA practice. Current health education
efforts should be strengthened to step up the MCH service utilization by focusing on those
mothers with low educational status and women from rural community.
