To take action on zinc deficiency it is important to have evidence on the national prevalence and associated factors of zinc deficiency among the high-risk groups (children and pregnant women). Children and pregnant women are the most risk groups for zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency is a worldwide problem which affects around 17% of the world’s population but mainly affects sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Zinc supplementation could also be considered for pregnant women and children. Promoting dietary modification to enhance the bioavailability of zinc, improving diet diversity, and consuming animal source foods would help in alleviating and/or minimizing the problem among the target groups.
Overall, zinc deficiency among pregnant women and children is a significant public health concern in Ethiopia. The associated factors for zinc deficiency among pregnant women were coffee intake (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) =1.76), low intake of animal source foods (AOR = 2.57), and inadequate diet diversity (AOR = 2.12). Using the random-effects model, the pooled prevalence of zinc deficiency was 59.9% (95%CI: 51.9, 67.7%) and 38.4% (95%CI: 28.6, 49.4) among pregnant women and children, respectively. Thirteen studies (7 among pregnant women having total participants of 2371 pregnant women and 6 among children with total participants of 5154 children) were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Finally, the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) version 3.3.07 was used for statistical analysis by applying the random-effects model and publication bias was assessed using funnel plots and Egger’s test. The effect sizes of the meta-analysis were the prevalence of zinc deficiency and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of the associated factors. Two authors independently reviewed the studies. A preferred reporting item for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) checklist was used. Search terms were ‘zinc deficiency’, ‘zinc status’, ‘associated factors’, ‘children’, ‘pregnant women’, and ‘Ethiopia’ using the boolean operators ‘OR’ or ‘AND’. We searched Pub Med, Scopus, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and Google for studies reported on zinc deficiency and associated factors among pregnant women and children. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate the national pooled prevalence and associated factors of zinc deficiency among pregnant women and children. Despite the presence of few primary studies, studies that could provide strong evidence that would help policymakers to develop appropriate interventional strategies in addressing zinc deficiency among pregnant women and children are limited in Ethiopia. Pregnant women and children are the most vulnerable groups to zinc deficiency.