This study focuses on risk factors for maternal under nutrition and utilized data from the largernscale Community and Family Survey (CFS) undertaken in the five densely populated zonesrn(Sidama, Gurage, KA T. North-Omo and Hadiya) of Southern Nations & Nationalities PeoplesrnRegioll (SNNPR). The survey was cross sectional by design and conducted between early Mayrnand early June 1997. This study is based on 935 lactating and pregnant women aged 15-49rnyears during the survey.rnUni-variate analysis of the data has shown that there exists considerable level of maternalrnunder nutrition. In this study 18.5 % of the women in the region were found out to bernmoderately and severely under nourished. The problem of under nutrition is higher in ruralrnarea (21.0%) than in urban area (6.7%). The level of under nutrition was also higher forrnwomen in the age group 15 to 19 years as compared with the remaining age groups. Maternalrnunder nutrition was also found out to be high for women residing in food insecure / inadequaternannual income / households, infected by malaria and never used family planning.rnData analysis using the logistic regression model has also shown that a number of variables inrnthe bi-variate model were significantly related to maternal under nutrition; while, few of thesernvariables were significant in the multi-variate mode. As a matter of fact the multi-variaternmodel showed the existence of significant variation in the risk of maternal under nutrition byrnlocational (place of residence and zone) variables. The risk of maternal under nutrition in ruralrnarea was 1.64 times higher as compared to the urban area and the risk was higher for Hadiyarnzone as compared with the remaining zones. It was also identified that women from inadequaternfood stock / annual income/ households, infected by malaria, in the adolescent age group (15 torn19 years) and those who never used family planning were significantly at higher risk of underrnnutrition.rnThe end results of this study indicated that, integrated efforts by various sectors are required tornalleviate the overall maternal under nutrition in the study region. Strong involvement of thernhealth sectors to address the health problem and the agricultural sector to increasernagricultural productivity could be a long term solution to the problem. Priority attention shouldrnbe given to the adolescent reproductive age group. Prevention and early treattnent of malariarninfection as well as promotion of family planning services among the adolescent age group,rnlactating & pregnant women is also crucial.