Nutrient intakes from a 24-hour recall survey among children aged 2–5 years, adolescent girls aged 10–18 years, and women aged 19–49 years in five regions of Niger

Background Conducting dietary intake surveys among vulnerable groups is essential for assessing interventions and informing decision-makers on progress in transforming food systems for supporting healthier diets. We aimed to describe the usual intakes of nutrients and their adequacy compared to estimated average requirements in three target groups; children aged 2–5 years, adolescent girls aged 10–18 years, and women aged 19–49 years in the regions of Dosso, Maradi, Tahoua, Tillabéri, and Zinder in Niger. Methods We conducted the first quantitative food consumption survey in Niger. Specifically, we used 24-hour recalls to estimate foods consumed the previous day and carried out a repeat recall on 20% of the sample to model usual daily intakes using the National Cancer Institute method. We selected representative samples of each age group in the five administrative regions studied. Results We included 1209 children aged 2–5 years, 1105 adolescent girls aged 10–18 years, and 1053 women aged 19–49 years. The median total energy intake was 1413 kcal (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1118, 1748) for children, 2227 kcal (95% CI = 1714, 2826) for adolescents, and 2552 kcal (95%CI = 1981, 3226) for women. The average proportion of energy from carbohydrates was above 69% for all target groups, while fat and protein accounted for just 20% and 10% in all groups, respectively. Animal protein accounted for only 11% of total protein intake in children, compared with 9.15% in adolescent girls and 9.78% in women. Usual calcium, vitamin B12, and vitamin A intakes were far below estimated average requirements, regardless of the target group or region. Conclusions Considering the risk related to very high micronutrient deficiencies, particularly in calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin 12, urgent action needs to be taken in Niger through the accelerated implementation of the national roadmap on transforming local food systems for healthy diets.