Are dietary diversity scores related to the socio-economic and anthropometric status of women living in an urban area in Burkina Faso?
OBJECTIVE
To study dietary diversity and its relationship with socio-economic and nutritional characteristics of women in an urban Sahelian context.


METHODS
A qualitative dietary recall was performed over a 24-h period. Dietary diversity scores (DDS = number of food groups consumed) were calculated from a list of nine food groups (DDS-9) or from a list of 22 food groups (DDS-22) which detailed both micronutrient- and energy-dense foods more extensively. Body mass index (BMI), mid upper-arm circumference and body fat percentage were used to assess the nutritional status of the women.


METHODS
Five hundred and fifty-seven women randomly selected in two districts of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.


RESULTS
The mean DDS-9 and DDS-22 were 4.9 +/- 1.0 and 6.5 +/- 1.8 food groups, respectively. In the high tertile of DDS-22, more women consumed fatty and sweetened foods, fresh fish, non-fatty meat and vitamin-A-rich fruits and vegetables. The DDS-9 was not associated with the women's socio-economic characteristics whereas the DDS-22 was higher when the women were younger, richer and had received at least a minimum education. Mean BMI of the women was 24.2 +/- 4.9 kg m-2 and 37% of them were overweight or obese (BMI > or = 25 kg m-2). Neither the DDS-9 nor the DDS-22 was associated with the women's anthropometric status, even though there was a trend towards fewer overweight women in the lowest tertile of DDS-22.


CONCLUSIONS
In this urban area, the qualitative measurement of dietary diversity is not sufficient to identify women at risk of under- or overweight.
Savy
M
M
Research Unit 106 Nutrition, Food, Societies, Institut de Recherche pour le Dévelopement (IRD), Montpellier, France. Mathilde.Savy@mpl.ird.fr
Martin-Prével
Y
Y
Danel
P
P
Traissac
P
P
Dabiré
Hb
H
Delpeuch
F
F
D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002050:Burkina Faso / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health; D016387:Women's Health