Household dietary diversity, vitamin A consumption and food security in rural Tigray, Ethiopia

Objective: To describe: household dietary diversity across four zones in Ethiopia; the relationship between household dietary diversity and consumption of vitamin A-rich foods; and the relationship between household dietary diversity and food security status. Design: This was a cross-sectional survey. Data were collected using structured questionnaires in the local language. Household dietary diversity scores measured types of foods households consumed, and households were classified by food security status using a modified version of the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. An ordinal logistics regression model was created to assess the relationship between three tiers of dietary diversity (low, medium and high) and food security while controlling for agricultural zone, educational variables and household characteristics. Setting: Rural households in Tigray, Ethiopia. Subjects: Three hundred households in Tigray, Ethiopia, were interviewed. Results: Of the households, 23, 47 and 30% had low, medium and high dietary diversity, respectively. Among households with high dietary diversity, eggs and fruit were the most common foods added to the diet. In the fully adjusted model, participants who reported being food secure had 1.8 increased odds of greater dietary diversity (95% CI 1.0, 3.2) compared with participants who were food insecure. Conclusions: Food security was positively associated with dietary diversity. In order to enhance health, interventions that improve dietary diversity and vitamin A consumption should remain important areas of focus for health leaders in the region.