Table 1.
Demographic characteristics [n(%)] of the participating children (N = 620)
| Nutritional status | Nutritional status | Nutritional status | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | SAMa | Healthyb | Characteristics | SAMa | Healthyb | Characteristics | SAMa | Healthyb |
| Sex | Ethnicity | Address | ||||||
| Male | 155 (50) | 155 (50) | Amhara | 15 (4.8) | 67 (21.6) | Dedo | 52 (16.8) | – |
| Female | 155 (50) | 155 (50) | Dawuro | 3 (0.97) | 38 (12.3) | Jimma town | 44 (14.2) | 310 (100) |
| Age group | Oromo | 284 (91.6) | 132 (42.6) | Gomma | 16 (5.2) | – | ||
| 3–8 mo | 12 (3.9) | 14 (4.5) | Gurage | 1 (0.3) | 26 (8.4) | Mana | 39 (12.6) | – |
| 9–14 mo | 39 (12.6) | 49 (15.8) | Keficho | 2 (0.6) | 14 (4.5) | Omonada | 20 (6.5) | – |
| 15–20 mo | 53 (17.1) | 52 (16.8) | Tigre | 0 (0) | 8 (2.6) | Seka | 42 (13.5) | – |
| 21–26 mo | 38 (12.3) | 36 (11.6) | Wolayita | 1 (0.3) | 2 (0.6) | Serbo | 81 (26.1) | – |
| 27–32 mo | 30 (9.7) | 30 (9.7) | Yem | 3 (0.97) | 0 (0) | Shabe | 10 (3.2) | – |
| 33–41 mo | 59 (19) | 53 (17.1) | Other | 1 (0.3) | 12 (3.9) | Others | 6 (1.9) | – |
| 42–53 mo | 52 (16.8) | 52 (16.8) | Unknown | 0 (0) | 11 (3.5) | *SES | ||
| 54–65 mo | 27 (8.7) | 24 (7.7) | Maternal religion | Low or lower | 160 (51.6) | 9 (2.9) | ||
| Maternal education | Orthodox | 22 (7.1) | 134 (43.2) | Middle or higher | 149 (48.1) | 289 (93.2) | ||
| Illiterate | 244 (78.7) | 26 (8.4) | Protestant | 1 (0.3) | 46 (14.8) | Missing | 1 (0.3) | 12 (3.9) |
| Primary | 53 (17) | 123 (39.7) | Islam | 287 (92.6) | 113 (36.5) | |||
| Secondary or higher | 12 (3.9) | 149 (48) | Others | 0 (0) | 6 (1.9) | |||
| Unknown | 1 (0.3) | 12 (3.9) | Unknown | 0 (0) | 11 (3.5) | |||
SAM a severely acute malnourished children, Healthy b non-malnourished children, mo month, *SES family socio-economic status through self-report by the caregiver