Factors associated with dietary diversity among women of reproductive age in Chongwe district, Zambia.
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Date
2024
Authors
Muzungaile, Toose
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
Dietary diversity has continued to gain widespread attention as it has evidently been associated with nutrient adequacy. A diverse diet has been shown to reflect nutrient adequacy since no one food can meet all the nutritional requirement of a person. Women have been considered vulnerable to malnutrition. This is a global concern as poor nutrition status among women of reproductive age (WRA) has an effect on their off springs. To promote dietary diversity, it is important to understand the factors associated with it. This study therefore assessed the factors associated with dietary diversity among WRA in Chongwe district of Lusaka, Zambia. The study was a cross-sectional in nature, consisting of 476 randomly selected WRA. Data was collected using a researcher administered 24- hour dietary recall questionnaire. The study was conducted between October and December 2019. About 49% of the WRA attained the minimum dietary diversity (MDD-W). Their diets were mainly dominated by foods from the grains, white roots and tubers and plantain food group. Socioeconomic factors (owning a TV and a cellphone), being trained in Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) were seen to be associated with dietary diversity in this study. It was observed that being from households that had a TV set (P-value: 0.001), and being trained in WASH (P-value: 0.047) were significantly associated with the achievement of MDD-W. WRA who were from households that had a TV set were about 3 times more likely to achieve MDD-W (OR: 3.5) compared to those that were not, and those that owned a cellphone were almost two times more likely to attain MDD-W (OR:1.70) compared to those that did not own a cellphone. Those that were trained in IYCF were more likely to attain MDD-W (OR: 1.3) compared to those that were not trained. Strategies and intervention programs targeting the identified factors that are positively associated with MDD-W should therefore be enacted, while the existing ones should be supported and monitored particularly among the WRA. These include training in WASH
and IYCF and promotion of women’s socioeconomic status. These strategies/programs can be done in a range of areas including revision, adoption and enforcement of legislation that mandates women to have improved socioeconomic status. These can improve the MDD-W of WRA through various pathways, both nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive. Other studies may be conducted to study behavior aspects of WRA towards dietary diversity.
Description
Thesis of Master of Science in Human Nutrition.