Determinants of Dietary Diversity among Pregnant Women Attending Public Health Facilities in Hossana town,South Ethiopia

Background: Dietary diversity refers to increasing the consumption of a variety of foods across and within the food groups, adequate and diversified diets during pregnancy is essential for fetus health, body maintenance and enhancement of maternal health through protection of infectious and non-communicable diseases. Hence, this study was targets to assess dietary diversity and its determinants among pregnant women of public health facilities in Hossana town, south Ethiopia Methods: Facility based cross-sectional study was applied among selected 303 pregnant women in Hossana town from June 1 to July 15, 2018. Systematic random sampling procedure was employed to recruit study participants. Data were collected using an interviewer administered pretested semi-structured questionnaire, one week dietary consumption was used to compute women dietary diversity score. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were done to isolate predictors of dietary diversity. Result: The prevalence of low, medium and high women’s dietary diversity was 9.2, 48.2 and 42.6% respectively. Educational status (AOR=2.1; 95%CI: 4.8, 15.2), monthly income (AOR=2.1; 95% CI: 4.8, 15.2), nutritional education (AOR=2.3; 95% CI: 1.2, 4.4) and frequency of eating (AOR=12.9; 95% CI: 3.1, 52) were meaningfully associated with women dietary diversity. Conclusions: In this study women educational status, monthly income, receiving nutritional education and frequency of eating were determinants of women dietary diversity. Efforts should be strengthened towards improving women educational level, delivery of nutritional education and enhance frequency of eating among pregnant women to advance dietary diversity. Keywords: Dietary diversity, Determinants, Pregnancy