(P07-018-25) Inequity on Nutrient Consumption Among Urban Residents of Ethiopia May Impact the Effectiveness of Large-Scale Food Fortification

Objectives: Intra-household nutrient inequity arises when food distribution within a household results in some members failing to meet dietary requirements as effectively as others. These disparities can affect the impact of nutrition interventions like food fortification. This study examined inequities in micronutrient intake-to-EAR ratios between adult men and women in urban Ethiopian households.

Methods: We analyzed 24-hour dietary recall data from the 2013 Ethiopian Household Food Consumption Survey, covering 375 households with adult men and women of reproductive age. The simulation considered Ethiopia's mandatory wheat flour and edible oil fortification standards. Usual intake estimates and fortification modeling were conducted using the SIMPLE macro 1-day method, with inequity ratios calculated by comparing nutrient intakes to dietary requirements for both groups.

Results: Men generally had higher median intake-to-EAR ratios for zinc, calcium, and vitamin B1, with ratios ranging from 1.1 to 1.5, compared to women in all households. with greater disparities in households with lactating women, especially for vitamin A. Nutrient inadequacy exceeded 76% for zinc, calcium, and vitamin A in both groups, while vitamin B1 inadequacy was 17% for men and 41% for women. Fortifying wheat flour with zinc and vitamin B1 and vegetable oil with vitamin A reduced inadequacy by 26–74 percentage points. Men benefited more from zinc and vitamin A fortification, while women saw greater gains from vitamin B1 fortification.

Conclusions: Intra-household nutrient consumption inequities in Ethiopia may undermine food fortification efforts, emphasizing the need for targeted strategies to promote equitable micronutrient intake.

Funding Sources: This work was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (INV-002855) through the Micronutrient Action Policy Support (MAPS) Tool Development project.