Influence des caractéristiques sociodémographiques des femmes âgées de 15 à 49 ans sur la diversité alimentaire minimale des enfants de 6 à 23 mois dans quatre régions du Niger

Child malnutrition remains a major problem in Niger, one of the countries most affected worldwide. This study analyzed the effects of socio-demographic characteristics of mothers aged 15 to 49 on minimum dietary diversity among children aged 6 to 23 months in four regions of Niger. The methodology relies on secondary analysis of data from the National Survey on Fertility and Under-Five Mortality, covering the regions of Agadez, Diffa, Maradi, and Zinder. Minimum dietary diversity is defined as consumption of foods from at least 5 of 8 food groups in the previous 24 hours. The prevalence of dietary diversity was very low, with only 7.3% of children reaching the recommended threshold, and marked regional disparities ranging from 2.6% in Zinder to 10.3% in Agadez. In multivariate analysis, four factors were significantly associated with dietary diversity: urban residence (AOR=3.223, p<0.001), maternal age of 25 years or older (AOR=2.748), education level (AOR=1.676, p=0.001), and agricultural occupation (AOR=2.099, p=0.016). Reversing malnutrition trends in Niger will require interventions that place particular emphasis on feeding practices and women's socio-economic status.