Association between household dietary diversity and nutritional status of children (6–36 months) in Wenchi Municipality, Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana

Background: One in five Ghanaian children is chronically malnourished. Childhood undernutrition remains a public health concern in Ghana; therefore, research is needed to identify modifiable risk factors to inform health programming. This study evaluated household dietary diversity (HDD) as a determinant of nutritional status of pre-school children in Wenchi Municipality, Ghana. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study involving 590 mother-child pairs was conducted in Wenchi Municipality. A two-stage cluster sampling procedure was used; clusters were first selected followed by the selection of children using simple random sampling. Socio-demographic, dietary, and anthropometric data were collected in face-to-face interviews. HDD scores were calculated using data from 24-h dietary recalls based on 12 standard food groups consumed by the households in the past 24 h preceding the survey and categorised into low (1–5 food groups) and high (6–12 food groups) HDD categories using the mean HDD score. Anthropometric indices (stunting, wasting, and underweight) were defined as anthropometric z-scores < − 2 standard deviations using the WHO growth standards. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to study the association between HDD categories and stunting or wasting while controlling for potential confounders. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 27.3 [95% confidence interval = 26.8–27.8] years, and majority of them (58.3%) were within the age group 20–29 years. The prevalence rates of stunting, wasting, and underweight in the children were 38.6%, 11.0%, and 13.1%, respectively, while 36.4% of the households had low dietary diversity. There was no association between HDD categories and stunting (adjusted OR = 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.79–1.76, p = 0.409) or wasting (adjusted OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.54–1.73, p = 0.910). Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of stunting in children and many households consumed less diverse diet in Wenchi Municipality. There is a lack of evidence of an association between HDD and stunting or wasting in the population studied. Interventions to improve child growth and HDD are needed to promote and protect child health. © 2018, The Author(s).