Abstract:
Unhealthy diets add to the burden of malnutrition and diet-related non-communicable diseases
[2, 3], which are priority public health problems in low- and middle-income countries including
Ethiopia [4–7]. According to the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey report, the
prevalence of stunting (short height-for-age, 38%), underweight (low weight-for-age, 24%) and
wasting (low weight-for-height, 10%) show the poor nutritional status of children under five
[4]. The same report also indicated that 20% of women of reproductive age were underweight
(body mass index [BMI] < 18.5 kilograms [kg]/metre [m]2
) and 13% overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2
).
This reveals that Ethiopia faces the triple burden of malnutrition, overweight and obesity, and
micronutrient deficiencies [5–10].
