Changes in women's dietary diversity before and during pregnancy in Southern Benin

Bibliographic Data

ID15536760
AuthorsDiane Djossinou (0000-0002-4090-8916, Université de Montpellier, corresponding author), Mathilde Savy (0000-0003-0562-9601, Université de Montpellier), Nadia Fanou‐Fogny (0000-0002-9170-3734, Université d'Abomey-Calavi), Edwige Landais (0000-0002-7291-2012, Université de Montpellier), Manfred Accrombessi (0000-0001-9550-9413, Université Paris Cité), Valérie Briand (0000-0001-7927-1855, Université Paris Cité), Emmanuel Yovo (0000-0003-1082-5113, Université d'Abomey-Calavi), Joseph D Hounhouigan (0000-0002-3677-4986, Université de Montpellier), Agnes Gartner (0000-0002-8225-0227, Université de Montpellier), Yves Martin‐prével (0000-0002-4689-7867, Université de Montpellier)
Year2019
Volume16
Issue2
Pagese12906-e12906
Publication date2019-12-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMaternal and Child Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1740-8695 • E-ISSN: 1740-8709
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/mcn.12906
PMID31833230
OpenAlexW2996078519
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited30

Dietary diversity before and during pregnancy is crucial to ensure optimal foetal health and development. We carried out a cohort study of women of reproductive age living in the Sô-Ava and Abomey-Calavi districts (Southern Benin) to investigate women's changes in dietary diversity and identify their determinants both before and during pregnancy. Nonpregnant women were enrolled (n = 1214) and followed up monthly until they became pregnant (n = 316), then every 3 months during pregnancy. One 24-hr dietary recall was administered before conception and during each trimester of pregnancy. Women's dietary diversity scores (WDDS) were computed, defined as the number of food groups out of a list of 10 consumed by the women during the past 24 hr. The analysis included 234 women who had complete data. Mixed-effects linear regression models were used to examine changes in the WDDS over the entire follow-up, while controlling for the season, subdistrict, socio-demographic, and economic factors. At preconception, the mean WDDS was low (4.3 ± 1.1 food groups), and the diet was mainly composed of cereals, oils, vegetables, and fish. The mean WDDS did not change during pregnancy and was equally low at all trimesters. Parity and household wealth index were positively associated with the WDDS before and during pregnancy in the multivariate analysis. Additional research is needed to better understand perceptions of food consumption among populations, and more importantly, efforts must be made to encourage women and communities in Benin to improve the diversity of their diets before and during pregnancy

Dietary diversity · Environmental health · Food group · Food security · Geography · Multivariate analysis · Pregnancy · Birth, Development, and Health · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Demography · Global Maternal and Child Health · Medicine · Internal Medicine