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With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

researcher spotlight

Liangzhi You

Liangzhi You is a Senior Research Fellow and theme leader in the Foresight and Policy Modeling Unit, based in Washington, DC. His research focuses on climate resilience, spatial data and analytics, agroecosystems, and agricultural science policy. Gridded crop production data of the world (SPAM) and the agricultural technology evaluation model (DREAM) are among his research contributions. 

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IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 80 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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experts

Taddese Zerfu

Research Fellow

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Bio

Taddese Zerfu is a Research Fellow in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Together with the Ethiopian team, he coordinates the Ethiopia National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN) Technical Advisory Project (ENTAP). He has conducted a modeling study using the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) software, which has resulted in a significant policy impact in relation to Ethiopia’s Seqota Declaration activity.

Before joining IFPRI, Taddese worked as a clinician, researcher, and academic in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. In Ethiopia, he served as a technical advisor and later a senior research advisor for the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH). Taddese completed two postdoctoral fellowships and the Marie Curie Fellowship at the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems (GAAFS), University of Edinburgh. He is also the winner of the 2016 Tore Godal Medal award.

Languages: English, four Ethiopian local languages

Google Scholar Citations

Publications

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Journal Article

Suboptimal nutritional status of school-age children in Addis Ababa: evidence from the analysis of socioeconomic, environmental, and behavioral factors

2024Adugna, Yimer Mihretie; Ayelign, Abebe; Zerfu, Taddese Alemu
Details

Suboptimal nutritional status of school-age children in Addis Ababa: evidence from the analysis of socioeconomic, environmental, and behavioral factors

Background: School-aged children (6–14 years old) are susceptible to malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. Environmental and behavioral factors greatly influence their nutritional status. This study aimed to examine the association between dietary factors and the nutritional status of school-aged children attending public and private schools in Addis Ababa. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was employed from March to August 2023. A total of 309 study participants were randomly selected from 10 schools. Data were entered into Epidata version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 23.0 for analysis. WHO Anthro Plus 1.0.4 was used to assess the measurements of weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ), and BMI-for-age (BAZ) for overweight, stunting, and underweight, while wasting was assessed using MUAC. A Poisson regression model was used to determine the association between predictor variables and stunting, wasting, underweight, and overweight, with adjusted prevalence ratios (APR). APR and 95% CI were used to identify statistically significant variables. Results: Findings revealed the prevalence of wasting (15%), stunting (24%), underweight (36%), and overweight (19%) among school-aged children. Factors influencing stunting include marital status, house ownership, education level of parents/caregivers, child sex, and meal skipping. Wasting was linked to wealth index, child age, dietary diversity, dietary habits, water access, and toilet facilities. Underweight predictors include parent/caregiver age, marital status, and meal frequency. Moreover, school type appeared as a significant factor for overweight. Conclusions: The overall nutritional status of school-aged children is suboptimal, influenced by sociodemographic, environmental, and behavioral factors. Addressing these factors through targeted interventions is crucial, particularly for the most vulnerable groups.

Year published

2024

Authors

Adugna, Yimer Mihretie; Ayelign, Abebe; Zerfu, Taddese Alemu

Citation

Adugna, Yimer Mihretie; Ayelign, Abebe; and Zerfu, Taddese Alemu. 2024. Suboptimal nutritional status of school-age children in Addis Ababa: evidence from the analysis of socioeconomic, environmental, and behavioral factors. Frontiers in Public Health 12(2024): 1409202. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1409202

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Behaviour; Capacity Development; Environmental Factors; Nutrition; Schoolchildren; Socioeconomics

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1409202 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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Video

Healthy Diets: Practices, misconceptions, and expert recommendations

2024Zerfu, Taddese Alemu
Details

Healthy Diets: Practices, misconceptions, and expert recommendations

Program Description: This live radio interview, broadcast on Radio Fana (a leading government media outlet in Ethiopia), focused on the crucial role of healthy diets in overall well-being. The program, conducted in collaboration with the Mathewois Woldu Cancer Society – an organization dedicated to cancer awareness and prevention – explored the significance of nutrition in cancer prevention and overall health. As a leading nutrition expert, I was invited to share my insights on balanced eating habits, the impact of diet on preventing chronic diseases like cancer, and practical advice for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The discussion also addressed common misconceptions surrounding food choices, clarified nutritional myths, and provided listeners with evidence-based guidance for making informed dietary decisions. The objective of the session was to equip the public with reliable information and to promote healthier eating habits across Ethiopia, ultimately contributing to better health outcomes and cancer prevention. The collaboration with the Mathewois Woldu Cancer Society underscored the importance of nutrition in the fight against cancer and the empowerment of the community through knowledge.

Year published

2024

Authors

Zerfu, Taddese Alemu

Citation

Zerfu, Taddese Alemu. 2024. Healthy Diets: Practices, misconceptions, and expert recommendations. Available on Youtube November 15, 2024. Mathiwos Wondu Ethiopian Cancer Society. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51YfozGChoc&t=1744s

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Health; Fasting; Neoplasms; Diet

Language

Other lang

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Video

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Report

Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Ethiopia

2024Margolies, Amy; Amunga, Dorcas; Zerfu, Taddese Alemu; Ruel, Marie T.; Olney, Deanna K.
Details

Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Ethiopia

Key Messages -Undernutrition has declined over time, but stunting still affects 40 percent of rural children and 25 percent of urban children. -Micronutrient deficiencies—especially deficiencies in folate, zinc and Vitamin D—are a critical concern, particularly for urban women and girls. -Dietary quality is low in both rural and urban areas: while urban diets are moderately more diverse than rural ones, rising consumption of unhealthy foods is more of a concern than in rural areas at this time. -The cost of consuming a healthy diet in Ethiopia increased from US $2.83 to $3.72 from 2017—2022, and over half of the population is currently unable to afford a healthy diet. -Concurrent conflict and climate shocks are causing acute nutritional needs in some regions. Humanitarian food aid is key to reducing food insecurity and should be provided to households without access to land who rely on income for food purchases, such as those in urban areas. -Overweight and obesity are still uncommon among young children but are increasing rapidly among urban women. In urban areas, 20 percent of women are overweight, compared to 4 percent in rural areas. The rise in urban overweight is driven by lifestyle changes associated with urbanization and unhealthy food environments, which are associated with poor quality diets and reduced physical activity. -Overnutrition and diet-related noncommunicable diseases are especially prevalent in Addis Ababa. -Food safety is a challenge, and evidence is lacking on how to improve vendor safety knowledge and practices to protect consumer health. -National social protection programs often fail to reach the urban poor and lack explicit nutrition interventions in urban areas. -There is a need to design and test urban nutrition interventions that address both over and undernutrition (such as double-duty actions) in urban populations.

Year published

2024

Authors

Margolies, Amy; Amunga, Dorcas; Zerfu, Taddese Alemu; Ruel, Marie T.; Olney, Deanna K.

Citation

Margolies, Amy; Amunga, Dorcas; Zerfu, Taddese; Ruel, Marie; and Olney, Deanna. 2024. Resilient Cities urban nutrition profile: Ethiopia. Resilient Cities Country Profile. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/159790

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Eastern Africa; Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Nutrition; Stunting; Children; Micronutrient Deficiencies; Diet; Rural Urban Relations; Food Safety

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Resilient Cities

Record type

Report

Events

SPIR II Learning Event
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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May 16 to 17, 2023

SPIR II Learning Event

May 16 and 17, 2023 (9:00am – 5:00pm Addis Ababa): The Strengthen PSNP5 Institutions and Resilience (SPIR II) Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA) in Ethiopia is a five-year project (2021-2026) that supports implementation of the fifth phase of the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP5) in Amhara and Oromia regions and provides additional graduation model programming through complementary gender-sensitive livelihood, nutrition, and climate resilience activities to strengthen the program and expand its impacts.