Maternal employment status and child age are positive determinants of minimum dietary diversity among children aged 6-23 months in Sagnarigu municipality, Ghana: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Intake of a diversified diet is key to the prevention of malnutrition among children as it results in improved intake of energy and micronutrients, which are deemed critical for better nutritional status of children. This study assessed minimum dietary diversity (MDD) and its determinants among children aged 6-23 months in the Sagnarigu Municipality of Ghana.

METHODS: This was an analytical cross-sectional study, carried out in the Sagnarigu Municipality, Ghana and involved 369 mother-child pairs selected through a systematic random sampling. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain respondents' socio-demographic characteristics, feeding practices, nutritional knowledge and anthropometry. MDD was assessed using a repeated 24-hour dietary recall method. Chi-square/Fisher exact test and binary logistic regression analysis were used to determine the factors associated with MDD.

RESULTS: The study found that 24.9% of the children were between the ages of 6-8 months and 75.1% were between the ages of 9-23 months. About 64.2% of the children met the MDD. Children of mothers who were self-employed were approximately 2 times more likely to meet the MDD as compared to children of mothers who were unemployed [Adjusted Odd Ratio (AOR): 1.93, 95% CI (1.13-3.31), P = 0.017]. Also, children aged 9-23 months were approximately 14 times more likely to meet MDD as compared to younger children aged 6-8 months [AOR: 13.98, 95% CI (7.54-25.91), P < 0.001].

CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that maternal empowerment may have positive effects on improving the MDD of infants and young children.