Relationship between dietary diversity and haemoglobin concentration among women of reproductive age (15−49 years) in the Upper East Region of Ghana
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between dietary diversity and haemoglobin concentration of women of reproductive age (WRA), 15−49 years in the Binduri District, of the Upper East Region (UER) of Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
This cross-sectional study was conducted among 153 non-pregnant, non-lactating WRA from three randomly selected communities in the Binduri District of the UER of Ghana. Socio-demographic information, 24-h dietary recall and minimum dietary diversity scores (DDS) of the women were obtained using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Haemoglobin concentration of the participants was measured by finger prick using Hemocue 301 Analyzer and classified according to WHO standards. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between DDS and haemoglobin concentrations of the participants.
Findings
Total study participants were 153 with mean age of 32.8 ± 8.7 years. Anaemia prevalence of 66.7% and a mean DDS of 4.0 ± 1.2 was recorded. DDS was found to be a strong predictor of haemoglobin concentration (p = 0.00, R2 = 0.48).
Practical implications
Interventions that increase DDS may be effective in improving haemoglobin levels of WRA.
Originality/value
The results showed that DDS is a strong predictor of haemoglobin concentration of the WRA in this study. As the dietary diversity of the women increased, their mean haemoglobin concentration also improved. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to be conducted in the study area.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to all the women who participated in the study.
Competing interests:The authors declare that there are no competing interests.
Funding:This research did not receive any external funding. All the cost involved in this study was borne by the researchers.
Citation
Ayamba, J.A., Nkumsah-Riverson, P., Intiful, F.D., Asante, M. and Boateng, L. (2024), "Relationship between dietary diversity and haemoglobin concentration among women of reproductive age (15−49 years) in the Upper East Region of Ghana", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-04-2024-0121
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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