Food purchase diversity is associated with market food diversity and diets of children and their mothers but not fathers in rural Tanzania: Results from the EFFECTS baseline survey

Rural households in East Africa rely on local markets, but the influence of market food diversity and household food purchase diversity on diets has not been well-characterized. We quantify the associations among market food diversity, household food purchase diversity and dietary diversity of mothers, fathers and children in rural Tanzania. This study uses baseline data from a randomized controlled trial, Engaging Fathers for Effective Child Nutrition and Development in Tanzania. We used the 10 food groups for women's dietary diversity to assess the seasonal availability of nutritious foods in 79 markets. Using data from 957 rural households in two districts in Mara, Tanzania, we measured household food purchase diversity over the previous month and dietary diversity among children (6-23 months), mothers and fathers. Overall, 63% of markets sold all 10 food groups throughout the year, indicating high-market food diversity and minimal seasonality. However, only 33% of women and 35% of children met dietary diversity recommendations. Households that reported higher purchasing power (0.14, p < 0.001), lived within 30 min of a market (0.36, p = 0.001) and had access to a highly diverse market (0.37, p = 0.01) purchased a higher diversity of foods. In turn, food purchase diversity was positively associated with the dietary diversity of mothers (p < 0.001) and children 9-23 months (p < 0.001) but not fathers (p = 0.56). Interventions must account for food availability and access in local markets, and promoting diverse food purchases may be an effective strategy to improve women's and children's diets in rural areas.