# Current khat (Catha edulis F.) use among Ethiopian women and its association with anemia and underweight: A cross-sectional analysis from Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey

## TL;DR

This study finds that khat use among Ethiopian women is linked to being underweight, especially in rural areas, and is associated with various sociodemographic factors.

## Contribution

The study provides new evidence on the association between khat use and underweight in Ethiopian women, particularly in rural regions.

## Key findings

- 10.7% of women in Ethiopia chew khat, with higher prevalence among older and Muslim women.
- Rural women who chew khat more than 26 days a month are 78% more likely to be underweight.
- Khat use is associated with age, religion, wealth, and education, but not with anemia.

## Abstract

Chewing fresh leaves of Catha edulis (khat) is a popular pastime activity among Ethiopians where 12% women chew it. Reports show that khat use has been associated with poor nutritional status. This study aimed to determine whether khat chewing is linked to underweight and anemia.

We analyzed data from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). The EDHS used two stage stratified cluster sampling to collected data from 16,650 households. We used data from a total of 15,683 respondents and 1904 respondents who chewed ever chewed khat in their lives. We used Pearson’s chi-square, and logistic regression while stratifying by residence (urban vs rural) to control for confounders.

Our results indicated 10.7% (95%CI: 10.92,11.26) of women chewed khat for an average of 16.5 days in the previous month. A woman’s current khat chewing status was significantly associated with age, educational level, region, religion, wealth group, and marital status. Women aged 40–44 were significantly more likely to chew (AOR = 2.89,) compared to those aged 15–19. Compared with Protestant women, Muslim women were 210 times more likely (AOR = 210, 95% CI 102,435.7) to chew and women in the poorest wealth quintile had 73% higher odds (AOR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.22,2.44) of chewing khat when compared with the richest. Anemia was not associated with a woman’s chewing status, whereas rural women who chewed khat for more than 26 days in a month had a 78% increased risk (OR = 1.78) of being underweight when compared to non-chewers.

Khat chewing is associated with sociodemographic factors and current khat use is associated with a higher risk of underweight among women living in rural areas. Implementing targeted awareness campaigns for women about the risks of khat chewing is recommended.