Users can embed the questions into an existing survey. Use the questions to calculate the minimum dietary diversity (MDD) indicator, which assesses dietary diversity among children 6–23 months of age.
Time: Approximately 10 minutes to ask questions. 2 to 3 weeks needed for data cleaning and analysis, depending on the size of the data set.
Human Resources: Minimal nutrition expertise needed to conduct interview, especially if using sentinel food lists. Familiarity with data cleaning and analysis of MDD data needed by data analyst.
Relative Cost: Low
Strengths: Simple to collect, tabulate, and interpret. MDD is positively associated with mean micronutrient adequacy of the diet.
Limitations: When sentinel food lists are used, may require checking/updating sentinel food lists. MDD is a rough estimate of micronutrient adequacy.
Indicators
We found relevant indicators for 2 diet question(s) based on the filters below (or your answers to preceding questions). Use the filters to see other indicators by target group or diet question.
Target group: Children 6–23 months of age
What foods or food groups is my target group consuming?
- MDD for children: Percentage of children 6–23 months of age who consumed foods and beverages from at least five out of eight defined food groups during the previous day.
- Food consumption—flesh foods: Percentage of children 6–23 months of age who consumed egg and/or flesh food during the previous day.
- Sweet beverage consumption: Percentage of children 6–23 months of age who consumed a sweet beverage during the previous day.
- Unhealthy food consumption—WHO and UNICEF IYCF: Percentage of children 6–23 months of age who consumed selected sentinel unhealthy foods during the previous day.
- Zero vegetable or fruit consumption: Percentage of children 6–23 months of age who did not consume any vegetables or fruits during the previous day.
- Researchers may also determine the percentage of the population consuming any of the food groups measured by the instrument.
Is my target group consuming foods or food groups that provide adequate nutrients?
- MDD for children: Percentage of children 6–23 months of age who consumed foods and beverages from at least five out of eight defined food groups during the previous day.
