Minimum diet diversity and its association with nutrient intake among non-pregnant and non-lactating women residing in Delhi

Background and objectives Indian women are disproportionately affected by nutritional deficiencies and are vulnerable to malnutrition. Minimum dietary diversity, an indicator of dietary diversity, has been used widely for pregnant and lactating mothers or rural Indian women; however, there is a deficit of data on dietary diversification among non-pregnant, non-lactating women living in urban areas. This study aimed to assess the Minimum dietary diversity and its association with nutrient intake among non-pregnant, non-lactating NPNL women of Delhi. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 women (25-49 years) in Delhi. Two-day 24 hr dietary recall (weekend and weekday) and diet quality questionnaire were used to collect the nutrient intake and diet diversity data, respectively. Minimum dietary diversity by Food and Agriculture Organisation was utilised to calculate the diet diversity score. Binary logistic regression and multivariate linear regression analysis were conducted to find predictors of adequate diet diversity and an association between nutrient intake and dietary diversity score, respectively. Results: The mean dietary diversity score was 4.1±1.21, and the prevalence of adequate diet diversity was noted to be 38%. Higher age [Odds ratio (OR):1.05; 95% confidence interval (CI):1.01-1.09; P =0.018] high household income (OR:1.00; 95%CI:1.00-1.00; P =0.008) and higher education (OR:59.06; 95%CI: 7.61-457.90; P <0.001) were identified as the predictors of better minimum dietary diversity. A higher minimum diet diversity was significantly associated with protein, mono-unsaturated fatty acids and retinol intake. Interpretation and conclusions There is poor dietary diversity and micronutrient adequacy among women in Delhi.