Sedentarization and Child Health: A Case Study of the Nutritional Status of Children Under 5 Years Old in the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia

Keestra, Sarai M., Kabalo, Bereket Yohannes, Koopaei, Ehsan Kharati, Buffavand, Lucie, Gemebo, Tsegaye Demissie, Ayele, Yalew and Stevenson, Edward G. J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2018-8920 (2025) Sedentarization and Child Health: A Case Study of the Nutritional Status of Children Under 5 Years Old in the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia. American Journal of Human Biology, 37 (10). e70154. ISSN 1042-0533

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Abstract

Objectives: This study evaluates differences in the nutritional status of children under 5 years old among the Bodi (Mela) of southwest Ethiopia, in the context of a sedentarization program which involved resettlement of pastoralist families in government‐designed villages (villagization sites). Methods: Data were collected in 2013 from two settings: state‐run villagization sites (Hana), where families were forcibly resettled 6–18 months earlier to farm and receive food aid, and comparison communities in cattle camps (Gura). Families with at least one child under 5 years old were recruited. Household characteristics, disease incidence, infant feeding practices, and anthropometric measurements (weight, height, mid‐upper arm circumference, triceps skinfold, and head circumference) were recorded. Age‐adjusted z‐scores were calculated and compared between sites. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from Emory University, Wolaita Sodo University, and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region Health Bureau. Results: A total of 106 children from 75 families participated (40 in Hana, 35 in Gura). Nearly one‐third of the children were stunted (31.5%) or underweight (27.4%), while 7.6% were wasted. Anthropometric measurements did not differ significantly between the two sites; however, in a sex‐stratified analysis, boys in the villagization site had higher weight‐for‐height but lower triceps skinfold‐for‐age than those in the comparison site. No significant difference in the proportion wasted was observed. Families in Hana were less likely to report their child having consumed animal milk in the past 24 h and more likely to report a case of diarrhea in the past month. Conclusions: Approximately 1 year after sedentarization, there was no consistent pattern of change in nutritional status among children in resettled families compared to those in pastoralist families.