Abstract:
Background: - Reproductive age (15-49) women are the most vulnerable and neglected segments in most society. The World Health Organization recommended updating national nutrition strategies to address this problem. However, chronic energy deficiency remains a significant global issue, with studies indicating no substantial improvement. Determining the prevalence and identifying the factors contributing to women's levels of chronic energy deficiency is crucial for finding effective solutions. Objective: To assess the prevalence of chronic energy deficiency and its associated factors among reproductive women (15-49 ages) in Dendi district, West Shewa, Ethiopia, 2024 Methods: A community -based cross-sectional study design was conducted in Dendi district from November1-30 /2024. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select 590 study participants. Pretested structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data from study participants. Data were entered into Epi-data 4.6, and analyzed by SPSS version 26 software. Descriptive Statistics was used to show the prevalence of chronic energy deficiency. Hosmer-Lemeshow and variance inflation factor (VIF) was used to test the model fitness and multi-collinearity, respectively. A Bi-variable and multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was employed. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) was used to identify those variables significantly associated with chronic energy deficiency at 95% CI and P-value <0.05. Results: This study found that the overall prevalence of chronic energy deficiency was 138(22.9%), (95%CI=19.6,26.6%). Educational level (AOR=2.15; 95%CI=1.03,4.49), Dietary diversity (AOR=1.70; 95% CI=1.08-2.67), family size (AOR=3.25; 95% CI=1.77-5.98), and parity (AOR= 2.86, 95%CI=1.44-5.67) were positively associated with CED where as having three or more meal per day (AOR=0.4, 95%CI=0.22-0.73) was negatively associated with chronic energy deficiency among the reproductive age women in the study area. Conclusion: In the study settings, the prevalence of chronic energy deficiency was high compared to WHO estimation among reproductive age women. Dietary diversity, educational level, family size and parity were positively associated with CED whereas meal frequency was negatively associated with CED. Regular nutritional assessments, widespread counseling for women greater organizational involvement and intervening CED are recommended to prevent and address chronic energy deficiency among women of reproductive age women.
