Abstract:
Background: Globally low fruit and vegetable consumption contributes to an estimated 3.9 million deaths worldwide per year from non-communicable diseases such as cardio vascular diseases, diabetic mellitus and stroke.
Objective: To assess the prevalence of fruit and vegetable consumption and associated factors among non-pregnant reproductive age womenat Ambo town, west Shoa zone, Oromia Ethiopia, 2024
Methods: Community based cross-sectional study was conducted among systematically selected 422 non-pregnant reproductive age women of Ambo town from May 1-30, 2024.Data were collected from May 1-30, 2024. Data were entered in to Epi Data software version 3.1and exported to Statical Package for social sciences (SPSS) version 26 for further analysis. A descriptive data analysis was conducted to summarize the information on fruit and vegetable consumption.A bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with the outcome.Adjusted Odds Ratio along with 95% confidence Interval (CIs) were estimated to measure the strength of associations between dependent and independent variables.Level of Statistical significance was declared at p-value less than 0.05.
Result:From overall response rate of 97.2%(410),[11.5%(95%Cl:8.5-15%)] of non-pregnant reproductive age women consume fruits and vegetables within 24hrs.Secondary education and above(9-12+)[AOR=3.4,95%Cl1.32,12.15)],merchants[AOR=4.88,(95%Cl:2.07,11.51)], ,monthly Income [AOR=3.03,( 95%Cl:1.33,6.92)], less than half a Kilometer away to get fruit and vegetables (AOR=3.44,(95%Cl:1.53,7.72)), previous history of ANC [AOR=7.88; (95% Cl:2. 68,23.2)] and good knowledge on fruits and vegetables [AOR=3.75;(95%Cl:1.56,9.05)] were significantly associated factors.
Conclusion and Recommendation: - The finding of this study revealed that fruit and vegetable consumption was low among non- pregnant reproductive age women. Secondary education and above (9-12+), merchant in occupational status, monthly income, distance, history of Antenatal Care(ANC), and knowledge on fruit and vegetables were factors statistically significant. Information Education Communication (IEC), subsidy programs, Enhancements to accessibility and Antenatal Care (ANC) were the main recommendations
