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

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2024 May 31

PMID 38820499

Authors

Nebyu Daniel Amaha

Meron Mehari Kifle

Samson Goitom Mebrahtu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: 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.

Method: 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.

Result: 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.

Conclusion: 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.

References

Kassie A, Abate B, Kassaw M, Aragie T . Prevalence of Underweight and Its Associated Factors among Reproductive Age Group Women in Ethiopia: Analysis of the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey Data. J Environ Public Health. 2020; 2020:9718714. PMC: 7403906. DOI: 10.1155/2020/9718714. View

Yitayih Y, van Os J . Prevalence and determinants of chewing khat among women in Ethiopia: data from Ethiopian demographic and health survey 2016. BMC Psychiatry. 2021; 21(1):127. PMC: 7934259. DOI: 10.1186/s12888-021-03136-y. View

Al-Abed A, Sutan R, Al-Dubai S, Aljunid S . Family context and Khat chewing among adult Yemeni women: a cross-sectional study. Biomed Res Int. 2014; 2014:505474. PMC: 4055061. DOI: 10.1155/2014/505474. View

Misgana T, Tesfaye D, Alemu D, Gebremichael B, Tamiru D, Tariku M . Khat use and associated factors during pregnancy in eastern Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study. Front Glob Womens Health. 2022; 3:941300. PMC: 9757490. DOI: 10.3389/fgwh.2022.941300. View

Girma T, Mossie A, Getu Y . Association between body composition and khat chewing in Ethiopian adults. BMC Res Notes. 2015; 8:680. PMC: 4650344. DOI: 10.1186/s13104-015-1601-2. View

Astatkie A, Demissie M, Berhane Y, Worku A . Prevalence of and factors associated with regular khat chewing among university students in Ethiopia. Subst Abuse Rehabil. 2015; 6:41-50. PMC: 4348121. DOI: 10.2147/SAR.S78773. View

Mekuriaw B, Belayneh Z, Yitayih Y . Magnitude of Khat use and associated factors among women attending antenatal care in Gedeo zone health centers, southern Ethiopia: a facility based cross sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2020; 20(1):110. PMC: 6988234. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-8026-0. View

Hassan N, Gunaid A, Murray-Lyon I . Khat (Catha edulis): health aspects of khat chewing. East Mediterr Health J. 2007; 13(3):706-18. View

Wogayehu B, Demissie T, Wolka E, Alemayehu M, Daka K . The epidemiology of khat (catha edulis) chewing and alcohol consumption among pregnant women in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2023; 3(9):e0002248. PMC: 10503716. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002248. View

10.

Haile D, Lakew Y . Khat Chewing Practice and Associated Factors among Adults in Ethiopia: Further Analysis Using the 2011 Demographic and Health Survey. PLoS One. 2015; 10(6):e0130460. PMC: 4474667. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130460. View

11.

Khawaja M, Al-Nsour M, Saad G . Khat (Catha edulis) chewing during pregnancy in Yemen: findings from a national population survey. Matern Child Health J. 2007; 12(3):308-12. DOI: 10.1007/s10995-007-0231-2. View

12.

Kedir H, Berhane Y, Worku A . Khat chewing and restrictive dietary behaviors are associated with anemia among pregnant women in high prevalence rural communities in eastern Ethiopia. PLoS One. 2013; 8(11):e78601. PMC: 3817221. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078601. View

13.

Nakajima M, Jebena M, Taha M, Tesfaye M, Gudina E, Lemieux A . Correlates of khat use during pregnancy: A cross-sectional study. Addict Behav. 2017; 73:178-184. DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.05.008. View

14.

Getahun W, Gedif T, Tesfaye F . Regular Khat (Catha edulis) chewing is associated with elevated diastolic blood pressure among adults in Butajira, Ethiopia: a comparative study. BMC Public Health. 2010; 10:390. PMC: 2912809. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-390. View

15.

Gebremedhin M, Lake E, Gebrekirstos L . Heavy khat (Catha edulis) chewing and dyslipidemia as modifiable hypertensive risk factors among patients in Southwest, Ethiopia: Unmatched case-control study. PLoS One. 2021; 16(10):e0259078. PMC: 8547649. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259078. View