PDF, 1536K - Measure DHS

10.10 EXPOSURE TO SUNLIGHT
In some cultures, infants are kept indoors for a specific period due to certain beliefs. As a result
of the lack of exposure to sunlight, they might suffer from deficiency of vitamin D, an essential
component necessary for the absorption of calcium. It is important to expose a newborn child to sunlight
10 to 15 minutes three times a week for the body to produce a sufficient amount of vitamin D. In the
Ethiopia DHS, women were asked how many days after birth they first started exposing their last-born
child to sunlight.
Nearly one in two children (48 percent) was not exposed to sunlight for 29 days or more after
birth (Table 10.11). Another one in two (46 percent) was not exposed for 7 to 28 days after birth. Two
percent of children were exposed to sunlight within six days of birth, while 3 percent had not been
exposed to sunlight.
Table 10.11 Exposure to sunlight
Percent distribution of last-born children under age five alive at the time of the survey, by
exposure to sunlight, according to background characteristics, Ethiopia 2000
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Days after birth child was
exposed to sunlight
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Background Not 1-6 7-28 29+
characteristic exposed days days days Total Number
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Mother's age at birth