A Baseline Survey on Household Cultivation and Dietary Consumption of Vitamin A and Zinc Rich Foods by 6-23 Months of Old Children in Sodo Zuria Woreda of Wolayta Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Zinc and vitamin A deficiencies are public health problems primarily due to chronic consumption of foods low in vitamin A and zinc. The information on consumption of vitamin A and zinc rich foods is essential to design relevant interventions for prevention of their deficiencies. Therefore, this study intended to assess household cultivation and dietary consumption of vitamin A and zinc rich foods by 6-23 months old children in Sodo Zuria woreda of Wolayta Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Applying two stage cluster sampling technique, 261 mother-child pairs were selected for the study. Mothers were interviewed on household cultivation of vitamin A and zinc rich food items and pumpkin ( Cucurbita pepo ). Food frequency questionnaire was employed to assess consumption of vitamin A and zinc rich foods by young children. Totally, 47.5% of the study participated households cultivated vitamin A rich fruits, 37.9% vitamin A rich vegetables and 65.1% zinc rich foods items. Among the children participated in the study, 65.9% consumed vitamin A rich foods at least three times and 40.54% zinc rich foods at least once in the last 7-days before the survey. Consumption of vitamin A rich foods, especially from plant-source, by 6-23 months old children was low. Intake of zinc rich foods was also low.