Background Levels of adequate dietary diversity vary from state to state in India, ranging from 7% to <1%, which leads to micronutrient deficiencies and increased risk of lifestyle diseases among women of reproductive age (WRA). Objective: To measure dietary diversity and dietary intake among WRA (15–49 years), addressing a critical gap in region-specific dietary data using a sample of 400 women. Settings and Design: Kaiwara, Chikkaballapur, Karnataka; cross-sectional study design. Methods: A semi-structured questionnaire was used with systematic sampling. Statistical Analysis: Chi-square tests were conducted along with the standard mean using the IBM SPSS (version 29) software. Results: Of the women surveyed, 34% were 26–35 years old. Most had secondary education (42%), were married (81.8%), belonged to the upper middle-income class (54.8%), and were nonworking professionals (69%). About 73.5% reported not skipping meals, with lunch being the most skipped meal (16.8%). Levels of education, occupation, and tobacco/gutka intake were significantly associated with meal skipping. About 86.3% of women had moderate dietary diversity. Dietary diversity was significantly associated with income levels. Intake of fried foods and bakery items was associated with age group, income level, marital status, and occupation. Conclusion: The study emphasizes the need to improve dietary diversity to enhance women’s prepregnancy health. Interventions focused on raising awareness about dietary diversity and women’s health before pregnancy require special attention to achieve better maternal and child health outcomes, while also promoting the overall well-being of women during their reproductive years.
Puliani et al. (Wed,) studied this question.