Household Dietary Diversity position food security and nutrition is an issue that most Governments and development actors are struggling with. icing ménage position food and nutritive security, each round of the time is a big challenge in most countries of India in the Chota Nagpur region, covering Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Telangana. In India, the consumption of diet comprises substantial masses that contribute to the burden of malnutrition and micronutrient scarcities at the individual level. Lower consumption of a diversified diet has negatively impacted health, leading to micronutrient scarcities, which were responsible for lower work productivity, poor social capacities, further vulnerability to infections, and poor gestation outgrowth, particularly among women.
Women of reproductive age are vulnerable to nutritional scarcities. The diurnal diet of Indian women substantially comprises staple foods( rice, wheat, and bajra) and lacks fruits, flora, and dairy products. India carries further burden of malnutrition among women, as 23 women are thin as per the public demographic and health check report. Around 11% of women had short elevation, which has not changed in the last decade. Males consume more dairy products and fruits on a diurnal basis as compared to women.
According to The Global Hunger Index( GHI), there is are flurry of papers, forums, and publications over the status of Food Insecurity in India. The latest data of the Global Hunger Index( GHI) by FAO has given a score of 27.4 to India, ranking the country at 105 out of 127 countries. According to the latest NFHS( 2019- 21) report, it’s noted that about a third of Indian children under five years of age are light and show growth deceleration, with the frequency of stunting and light affecting 36% of the population.
The current situation post-COVID is indeed worse and isn’t entirely reflected in the report, as data isn’t available. High rates of child malnutrition(stunting and wasting) in India are a reflection of food instability in homes, poor dietary diversity, lack of mother and child care services, low status of women, and limited access to health and sanitation. It’s indeed a matter of concern that over 35% of children in the country are suppressed( low height for age) and 19% of children are wasted( low weight for height) according to the National Family Health Survey- 5( 2019- 2021).
Salutary data in developing countries like India are in short supply due to lower investment in the necessary exploration structure, time-consuming, precious, and specialized skills needed during data collection and analysis. Programs and interventions that aim to ameliorate mortality through diet bear data on salutary input and its quality.
Salutary diversity( DD) is a qualitative index of food consumption that reflects ménage and individual access to a variety of foods. It’s defined as the consumption of several food groups over a reference period. The World Health Organization( WHO) has suggested that at least 20, maybe as many as 30, biologically distinct variants of foods should be consumed each week for a healthy diet.
Different diets are required to sustain a healthy and active life. Studies have shown that diversity in food helps in nutritional acceptability, minimizes the adverse effects of food on health and habitual conditions, increases appetite, and improves sustainability. Household salutary diversity reflects the profitable capability of a ménage to consume a variety of foods. Whereas the individual salutary diversity score aims to reflect nutrient acceptability. Increase in salutary diversity is associated with socio-economic status, ménage food security, and increased nutrition acceptability of the diet.
Salutary diversity is a qualitative measure of food consumption that reflects ménage access to a variety of foods, and is also a proxy for nutrient acceptability of the diet of individuals. The Household Dietary Diversity Score( Household Dietary Diversity) aims to reflect the nutritional capability of homes to consume a variety of foods. The data for this index is based on homes’ tone-reporting of the 12 food groups consumed in the previous 24 hours.
To better reflect a quality diet, the number of different food groups consumed is calculated, rather than the number of different foods consumed. Knowing that homes consume, for illustration, a normal of four different food groups implies that their diets offer some diversity in both macro- and micronutrients. This is a more meaningful index than knowing that homes consume four different foods, which might all be cereals.
The following set of 12 food groups is used to calculate the HDDS – Cereals, G. Fish and seafood; B. Root and tubers; H. Beans, legumes, nuts; C. Vegetables; I. Milk and milk products; D. Fruits; J. Oil/ fats; E. Meat, flesh; K. Sugar/ honey; F. Eggs; L. eclectic
An illustration of an expanded set of food groups that disaggregates certain groups to determine the consumption of program-promoted foods such as Vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables.
The expanded questions can give programmes fresh, specific data on the impact of program conditioning. When generating the ménage salutary diversity score( Household Dietary Diversity), still, the expanded set should be combined back into the original 12 food groups so that the total Household Dietary Diversity is grounded on the same 12 food groups.
MDD-W is a dichotomous index of whether or not women aged 15- 49 years of age have consumed at least five out of ten defined food groups on the former day or night. The proportion of women aged 15- 49 years of age who reach this minimum in a population can be used as a proxy index for advanced micronutrient acceptability, one important dimension of diet quality.
The MDD-W was developed as a deputy index to reflect the micronutrient acceptability of women’s diets. The main use of the MDD-W is for assessment in public and subnational situations. It’s a population-position index grounded on a recall period of a single day and night, so although data are collected from individual women, the index can not be used to describe diet quality for an individual woman. This is because of normal day-to-day variability in individual inputs.
Groups of WRA where an advanced proportion consume food particulars from at least five of the ten food groups are likely to have advanced micronutrient acceptability than other groups that have a lower proportion of women achieving the threshold of food particulars from at least five food groups. Put another way, an advanced frequency of MDD-W is a deputy for better micronutrient acceptability among WRA in the population. Groups of WRA who consume food particulars from five or further of the ten groups are also likely to consume at least one animal-source food and either animal-source or nuts, seeds, and food particulars from two or further of the fruit and vegetable food groups.
The MDD-W can be used
• As a deputy to describe one important dimension of women’s diet quality( micronutrient acceptability) in public and subnational assessments;
• To compare with former assessments, so long as check timing accounts for seasonality.
Methodological approaches to the dimension of food group diversity While food group diversity pointers can be deduced from detailed quantitative salutary input checks, this companion is intended for druggies who aren’t in a position to conduct similar checks. When fairly simple data collection approaches are needed, as in several large-scale and multi-module checks, food group diversity pointers can be measured using two main styles: open recall and list-grounded.
HOUSEHOLD DIETARY DIVERSITY – OPEN RECALL METHOD
In a qualitative open 24-hour recall, the enumerator asks a series of standard probing questions to help the respondent recall all foods and potables consumed the previous day and night, and also examines for main constituents in mixed dishes. Specifically, the recall period covers from when the replier awoke the previous day, through the day and night for a 24-hour period.
The recall is “ open ” because the enumerator doesn’t read predefined food groups to the respondent. Each food or libation that the replier mentions can be circled, underscored, or ticked on a predefined list. Foods not formerly included on the predefined list can be either classified by the enumerator into an being predefined food group or recorded in a separate place on the questionnaire and enciphered later into one of the predefined food groups.
LIST- GROUNDED SYSTEM
In the list-grounded system, the enumerator reads a list of foods and potables to the replier. The enumerator informs respondents that they should respond “ yes ” for each food or libation consumed during the specified recall period of the former day and night. The enumerator continues by reading a list of foods organized in groups, giving multiple examples for each food group. There’s anecdotal substantiation that data collected with this system are less complete.
COMPARISON OF STYLES
There are advantages and disadvantages to each system; these are detailed in Table 2. This companion describes and recommends the open recall because it may lead to more accurate and complete recall of all foods and potables consumed. Of crucial concern are the linked issues of repeater burden and the time demanded( and therefore cost) to apply the recall.
There’s no universal answer regarding which system is hastily, because it depends on the simplicity or complexity of the woman’s diet, on the length of the food group list, and on the number of exemplifications demanded for each food group on a list- grounded questionnaire. When diets are simple, the open recall is likely to be quicker than the two.
The ménage salutary diversity score( Household Dietary Diversity) is meant to reflect, in a short form, the profitable capability of a ménage to consume a variety of foods. Studies have shown that an increase in salutary diversity is associated with socio-economic status and ménage food security.
Individual salutary diversity scores aim to reflect nutrient acceptability. Studies in different age groups have shown that an increase in individual salutary diversity score is related to increased nutrient acceptability of the diet. While the individual salutary diversity score( IDDS) is used as a deputy measure of the nutritive quality of an existent’s diet, the Household Dietary Diversityis used as a deputy measure of the socio-economic position of the ménage. The differences in the list of food groups used to construct the HDDS and IDDS( e.g., for women or children) reflect these different objects.
Salutary diversity scores have been validated for several age/ coitus groups as deputy measures for macro and/ or micronutrient acceptability of the diet. Scores have been appreciatively identified with acceptable micronutrient viscosity of complementary foods for babies and young children, and macronutrient and micronutrient acceptability of the diet for non-breast-fed children, adolescents, and adults.
Some of these confirmation studies relate to only one country, while others have tried to validate salutary diversity scores for several countries. Nonetheless, exploration is ongoing, and there’s presently no transnational agreement on which food groups to include in the scores at the individual position for different age/ coitus groups.
The explanation for these guidelines is to give a standardized questionnaire of universal connection from which colorful, salutary diversity scores can be calculated. Similarly, it isn’t culture, population, or position specific, and thus, previous to using it in the field, it’ll be necessary to acclimate it to the original environment.
Differences Between Ménage and Individual Situations
The salutary diversity questionnaire can be used to collect information either at the ménage or individual level. The decision on which position to collect information depends in part on the purpose and objectives of the survey. However, it’s stylish to collect information at the position of the existent, if assessment of the nutrient acceptability of the diet is of primary concern. Another important consideration for the choice between ménage and existent is the frequency of snacks bought and consumed outside the home.
Still, administering the questionnaire at the individual position is more applicable as it isn’t possible to capture directly reflections, snacks bought and eaten outside the home at the ménage position, if reflections, snacks are bought and consumed outside the home regularly by one or more family members.
Using one 24-hour recall period doesn’t give a suggestion of an existent’s habitual diet, but it does give an assessment of the diet at the population level and can be useful to cover progress or target interventions. There are other colorful valid timeframes for recall, similar to the former 3 or 7 days, and in the case of some foods, the former month.
The recall period of 24 hours was chosen by FAO as it’s lower subject to recall error, less clumsy for the replied, and also conforms to the recall time period used in numerous salutary diversity studies. Also, analysis of salutary diversity data grounded on a 24-hour recall period is easier than with longer recall periods. Household Dietary Diversity survey –
• Eating outside the home –
Indeed, in developing countries, it’s a decreasingly common practice to consume refreshments and snacks outside the home. The last question of the questionnaire asks if anyone in the ménage at the ménage position, or the replier at the individual position, ate anything outside the home. This question is included to capture information on the purchase and consumption of refreshments and snacks prepared outside the home. In situations where eating outside the home is veritably common, operation of the questionnaire at the individual position may be preferred over the ménage position.
• Atypical consumption –
Consumption patterns can be atypical during the gleeful ages. It’s recommended not to use the questionnaire during public holidays or during ages similar to Ramadan, in which it’s likely that food consumption doesn’t reflect a typical diet. Questions related to atypical days can be added to the questionnaire either to screen out homes or individuals, or to use in analysis as applicable for the purposes of the check.
Primary source of food procurement – Occasionally, it’s profitable to know the primary source of food procurement for the entire diet or certain food groups( cereals, fruits, or vegetables). Still, the following type of question and enciphered responses can be added to the questionnaire, if it’s desirable for the purpose of the check to collect this type of information.
• Consumption of fortified foods –
Fortified foods aren’t taken into consideration in the questionnaire. Still, it can be useful to gain information on the original vacuity and use of fortified foods, particularly those fortified with iron or vitamin A.
• Nutrition and food biodiversity –
Food biodiversity is defined as the diversity of species, creatures, and other organisms used as food, covering the inheritable coffers within species, between species, and handed down by ecosystems. Information on food biodiversity can be collected by expanding one or further of the salutary diversity food groups of the questionnaire.
Salutary diversity scores can be used to assess changes in diet ahead and after an intervention( enhancement anticipated) or after a disaster such as crop failure( decline anticipated). The mean salutary diversity score allows comparison of sub-populations; for illustration, communities witnessing a nutrition intervention compared with control communities, or other marginalized, barred homes compared with others. When interpreting the salutary diversity score, it’s important to keep in mind that
• The salutary diversity score doesn’t indicate the volume of food consumed.
• Diet varies across seasons, and some foods can be available in large amounts and at low cost for short periods.
• There may be civic/ pastoral differentials in salutary diversity. Variety is frequently much lower in civic and peri-urban centers where food requests are adequately supplied and fluently accessible.
Salutary diversity scores can be used to assess changes in diet ahead and after an intervention( enhancement anticipated) or after a disaster such as crop failure( decline anticipated). The mean salutary diversity score allows comparison of sub-populations; for illustration, communities witnessing a nutrition intervention compared with control communities, or other marginalized, barred homes compared with others.
Also Read – Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS)
