Caregiver knowledge, its determinants and its association with infant and young child feeding and water, sanitation, and hygiene practices among children with severe acute malnutrition in agrarian and pastoral settings of Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract Background This study aimed to assess caregiver knowledge of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF), child health, severe acute malnutrition (SAM) screening, and Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), its determinants, and associations with IYCF/ WaSH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) practices among caregivers of children 6–59 months with SAM in Ethiopian agrarian and pastoralist settings. Method Data were from the baseline survey of the R-SWITCH Ethiopia cluster-randomized controlled trial (cRCT), which screened ∼28,000 children aged 6–59 months and identified 686 SAM cases. Caregiver knowledge was evaluated using a validated 32-item questionnaire (Cronbach’s α for internal reliability) and analyzed via linear mixed-effects and Poisson regression models in Stata 17. Results Caregiver knowledge was positively associated with improved IYCF/WaSH practices among children aged 6–23 months with SAM, including higher minimum dietary diversity (MDD: IRR=1.50), minimum acceptable diet (MAD: IRR=1.63), and reduced zero vegetable/fruit intake (IRR=0.77), as well as MDD in children aged 24–59 months, improved water access (IRR=1.19), water treatment (IRR=2.02), and handwashing stations (IRR=1.41). Literate (β = 4.1; 95% CI:1.5–6.6, p= 0.016), pregnant(β = 4.4; 95% CI:0.9–7.8, 0.018), having child weighing at a health post/ health center (β = 8.9;95% CI:3.5–14.2,p ≤ 0.001), and higher household wealth index (β = 11.8;95% CI:3.6–20.1,p= 0.005) were associated with higher knowledge, while possible depression (β = −0.3;95% CI: −0.5 to 0.0, p= 0.015) was associated with lower knowledge. Conclusion Caregiver knowledge determines better IYCF/WaSH practices among children aged 6-59 months with SAM. Literacy, pregnancy, having child weighing at a health post or health center, and greater household wealth were associated with caregivers knowledge, whereas possible depression was associated with lower knowledge. Integrating context-specific caregiver education and mental health support into CMAM, GMP(Growth monitoring and promotion), and primary care services could enhance feeding/WaSH practices in Ethiopia.