Bio:

Zeweter Abebe completed her PhD in Food science and Nutrition at Addis Ababa University under Dr Kaleab Baye and Professor Gulelat Dessie. Her thesis focused on non-food and food approaches that can improve infant and young child nutrition. Dr. Abebe has expertise in qualitative, quantitative and nutritional research methods. Her research interests include maternal and child nutrition. She has research experience on child growth, nutrition education, appetite, micronutrient supplements, and breast milk nutrient composition. 

Project summary:

Given that continuous breastfeeding up to two years is a norm in most of the developing countries, breast milk has been a major source of nutrients such as vitamin A for infants and young children. However, low breast milk vitamin A (BMVA) concentration has been highly prevalent in these countries, partly due to poor maternal diet. The aim of this study is to quantify the impacts of home gardening on BMVA and pro vitamin A carotenoid concentration, and estimate the contribution of BMVA to the daily vitamin A requirement of the children, during (0 - 6 months) and after (6 -12 months) the exclusive breastfeeding period. This study will also determine vitamin A intake cutoff values associated with low and optimal BMVA concentration and develop a statistical model, fitting garden and non-garden variables, that predicts risk of low BMVA concentration in West Gojam, Northern Ethiopia