What’s happening in the kitchen? The influence of nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP), and kitchen characteristics on women’s dietary quality in Ethiopia

By:
Temesgen Awoke Yalew, Masresha Tessema ,Edward Lahiff
Date:
2025
Resource type:
Blogs/news/opinion
Link:

This study investigates how nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) and kitchen characteristics affect women's dietary quality in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey of 1,980 women aged 15–49 across five Ethiopian regions and two city administrations was conducted using food frequency questionnaires, 24-hour dietary recall, and KAP assessments.

Key findings:

Only 21.5% of women met the minimum dietary diversity requirement, with an average dietary diversity score of 3.4 out of 10.
Women with higher nutrition-related knowledge and positive attitudes had significantly better dietary diversity and nutrient adequacy (p < 0.01).
Kitchen characteristics, such as cooking time and willingness to prepare new foods, were positively linked to better diet quality.
Grains were the most consumed food group (61%), while eggs, dairy, and meat consumption remained low.
Economic and socio-demographic factors significantly influenced food choices and dietary quality.
This study highlights the need for targeted nutrition education and food system interventions to improve dietary diversity among Ethiopian women.

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