Minimum Dietary Diversity and Anthropometric Measures of Nutritional Status among Children Aged 6–23 Months in Rural Noakhali, Bangladesh

Background: Child under nutrition is a serious public health concern in a developing country like Bangladesh though significant improvement occurred in the last few decades. Dietary diversity is important for having balanced nutrition and in Bangladesh, only 39.6% of children aged 6–23 months receives the minimum acceptable diet. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to determine the association between the level of minimum dietary diversity practice and anthropometric measure (stunting) of nutritional status among children aged 6–23 months in rural Noakhali, Bangladesh.

Methods: A cross sectional study was undertaken in Noakhali, Bangladesh in April 2019. Data were collected by using a standard, structured and pretested questionnaire, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was carried out to identify factors associated with minimum dietary diversity scores for children.

Results: Minimum dietary diversity (MDD) score was found to be 61%; 40% children were stunted and only 13.4% stunted children achieved MDD. Children’s minimum dietary diversity is positively & strongly associated with the children nutritional indicator (stunting). In the multivariate analysis, children who had not achieved minimum dietary diversity had a higher risk for being stunted [adjusted Exp (B)= 0.012; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.001–0.107, P=0.00] than the children who had achieved minimum dietary diversity. Similarly, mothers’ education and household size were also positively associated with minimum dietary diversity which effects were minimized in multivariate analysis.

Conclusion: The consumption of minimum dietary diversity was found to be moderate & more efforts need to be done to achieve the recommended minimum dietary diversity intake for all children aged between 6 and 23 months to tackle severe and moderate stunting.