Assessing the potential determinates of national vitamin A supplementation in Ethiopia.

Abstract Background: Vitamin A is a nutrient that is required in a small amount for normal visual system function, growth and development, epithelia’s cellular integrity, immune function, and reproduction. Vitamin A has a significant and clinically important effect since it has been associated with a reduction in all-cause and diarrhea mortality. The aim of this study was to determine factors associated with national vitamin A supplementation among children aged 6-35 months by using data from the 2019 Ethiopia Mini Demographic and Health Survey.Method: The study used a population-based cross-sectional study design to assess factors associated with vitamin A supply among children aged 6 to 35 months in the six months before the survey's start. Descriptive statistics were used to identify the proportion of children who had taken vitamin A supplements, after which multivariable logistic regression analysis was carried out to determine the predictors of vitamin A supplementation. Result: The overall coverage of vitamin A supplementation among children aged 6-35 months for the survey included was 46 %. In the multivariable analysis, children who resided in urban areas [AOR = 1.34 (95 % CI: 1.00, 1.81)] were more likely to receive vitamin A supplementation than children living in rural areas. Postnatal care recipients were 1.5 times more likely than non-recipients to obtain vitamin A capsules for their children [AOR = 1.54 (95 % CI: 1.20, 1.97)]. Mothers [AOR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.029, 1.57] who delivered at health facilities were 26% more likely to receive vitamin A capsules for their children than those who delivered at home. Other factors that were associated with higher a likelihood of vitamin A supplementation were: number of antenatal visits, age of child, and household wealth index.Conclusion: The coverage of vitamin A supplementation set by the Ethiopia ministry of health remains low and it is strongly associated with antenatal visit, postnatal checkups and place of delivery. Expanding institutional delivery and maternal health services like ANC and PNC should be prioritized.