Association between household food security, food production diversity, and women’s and children's dietary diversity in Lao PDR: evidence from the National Nutrition Sentinel Surveillance Survey

Abstract Purpose This study examined how household food security and food production diversity impact minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W) and children (MDD). Method The study utilised data from the latest National Nutrition Sentinel Surveillance (NSS) Survey in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). A child met minimum dietary diversity (MDD) if they had consumed five of the eight food groups the previous day. A woman of reproductive age met minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W) if they had consumed five of the ten food groups the previous day. Household food security was assessed using the food consumption score (FCS) as a proxy, with a score below 35 indicating household food insecurity. Food production diversity was determined by counting the number of food groups produced by each household. Multivariate logistic regression models determined the association between MDD-W and MDD with household food security and food production diversity. Results Approximately 52.4 per cent of children achieved the MDD, and 75.3 per cent of women achieved the MDD-W. When comparing children in households with acceptable food consumption scores to those in households with unacceptable food consumption scores, the majority of children of the former group attained minimum dietary diversity (AOR: 2.85; 95% CI 1.61, 5.23; P = 0.001; Table 4, model B). Similar results were found among women and MDD-W (AOR: 2.27; 95% CI 1.47, 3.53; p = 0.001; Table 6, model B). Household food production diversity and children’s dietary diversity were positively correlated: the likelihood of achieving MDD increased when households produced five or more food groups (AOR: 4.66; 95% CI 2.63, 8.38; p = 0.001; Table 5, model B). Similar results were observed among women for MDD-W (AOR: 2.33; 95% CI 1.37, 4.02; p = 0.01; Table 7, model B). Conclusions Our empirical analyses suggest that household food security and food production diversity were positively associated with dietary diversity in women and children.