Dietary Diversity and Associated Factors among Women of Reproductive Age in Jaja, A Rural Community in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Background: Dietary diversity is an essential concept in the prevention of malnutrition. Nutrient adequacy in the diet is especially crucial in women of childbearing age as it helps to prevent diseases and reduce poor pregnancy outcomes. This study assessed dietary diversity and its associations among women in Jaja, a rural community in Kaduna state, Nigeria. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of women aged 15-49 years selected from each house in the community using a multistage sampling technique. Following informed consent, data were collected using a pre-tested semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Information on socio-demographic characteristics and dietary patterns of the women was gathered and analysed using IBM SPSS version 26 software. Associations between the Women's Dietary Diversity Score (WDDS) and variables such as level of education, parity, nutrition sensitisation, and ownership of farmlands were tested, and statistical significance was set at p-value <0.05. Results: A total of 371 women were enrolled, predominantly married, Hausa Muslims. Their diet was made up of starchy staple 366(98.7%), Organ Meat 32(8.6%), Fish/Seafood 36(9.7%), Vitamin A rich foods 282(76.0%) and Iron rich foods 69(18.6%). The WDDS was low and had a statistically significant relationship with factors such as the woman's formal education (p-value 0.04), parity (p-value 0.009), geophagia, and having had nutrition sensitization (p-value 0.018) and farmland ownership (p-value 0.022). Conclusion: Dietary diversity was low, with several socio-economic factors identified as its significant predictors among study participants. Multi-layered policies and targeted interventions to improve and sustain dietary practices are recommended.