intake among pregnant and lactating mothers: may it affect child growth?

Alcohol abuse among women is a public health importance that may impair prenatal and postnatal growth. is among the most common homemade alcoholic beverages in rural Ethiopia, but little is known about the magnitude of intake during pregnancy and lactation or its effects on child growth. The present study investigated associations between maternal intake and the growth of their children. A cross-sectional mixed-methods study was conducted with mothers ( 228) and their 12-36-month-old children and with key informants ( 12). intake during most recent pregnancy and lactation was estimated retrospectively by glasses per drinking event and frequency of events. Nearly 80 % of mothers had consumed some amount of during their most recent pregnancy and lactation. Furthermore, 72 % of children had tasted or drunk at some time during their life. Stunting was 42 % and was significantly associated with maternal consumption at least every other day during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 4⋅97, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 2⋅20, 11⋅25), male sex (AOR 2⋅31, 95 % CI 1⋅27, 4⋅19), two or more under-5-year-old children in the household (AOR 3⋅52, 95 % CI 1⋅49, 8⋅33) and family size >5 (AOR 1⋅84, 95 % CI 1⋅01, 3⋅36). Underweight was 24⋅6 % and was associated with the child drinking with their mother (AOR 4⋅23, 95 % CI 1⋅99, 8⋅97), being male (AOR 3⋅73, 95 % CI 1⋅73, 7⋅94), having ≥3 diarrhoeal episodes in the last 3 months (AOR 11⋅83, 95 % CI 4⋅22, 33⋅14) and being in the older age group (AOR 2⋅98, 95 % CI 1⋅09, 8⋅13). The associations between intake and child growth suggest the need to mitigate the effects of on child anthropometry.