Parental khat use and early childhood growth status in Eastern Ethiopia.

Abstract

Adult chewing of the stimulant plant khat (Catha edulis) has an unclear relationship with child growth outcomes. Contradictory study conclusions because habitual khat chewing covary with increased household income from khat production. Disentangling the association of parental khat use, household khat production, and child nutritional status and growth markers. Bayesian analysis was applied to survey data for 2340 households containing 2760 children aged 24-60 months in a population-representative geographic sampling of two districts in Eastern Ethiopia, a khat chewing and producing region. Stunting effects were more evident than wasting; the negative child growth effect of khat chewing persisted regardless of household khat production; maternal chewing particularly mattered for child growth delays. This exploratory analysis suggests that future studies should target the interactions of khat chewing practices with gendered performances of child care/feeding responsibilities.