Factors Affecting Women’s Dietary Diversity in Cumilla District of Bangladesh: A Community-based Cross-Sectional Study

Dietary diversity indicates diet quality and can be linked to health and nutritional outcomes. Minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W) is a proxy indicator for food security and micronutrients in diets of women aged 15-49. This study assessed dietary diversity and its determinants among semi-urban Bangladeshi women of reproductive age in Cumilla District. In a cross-sectional survey, 391 households (372 estimated sample size) were randomly enrolled. A semi-structured questionnaire collected demographic, socioeconomic, and dietary data. Within each household, a married woman (15-49 years) provided the data on nutrition knowledge and dietary practices. Dietary quality was assessed using the minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W). The average MDD-W score was 5.2±1.9. About 56.5% of women fulfilled adequate MDD-W. Regression analysis showed that the monthly household income and having knowledge about a balanced diet were the determinants of MDD-W. Women in households that had a monthly income of BDT 10,000 to 20,000 were 75% less likely (aOR 0⋅25, CI 0⋅11, 0⋅61) to meet the MDD-W than the households that had a monthly income more than BDT 30,000, while women who had knowledge about a balanced diet were 1.57 times more likely (aOR 1.57, CI 1.02, 2.44) of achieving the MDD-W than who had no knowledge about a balanced diet. It was shown that having knowledge about a balanced diet and higher household income increases the MDD-W.