Lack of dietary diversity is particularly a problem among women and children in developing countries. Women of reproductive age (WRA) are often nutritionally vulnerable because of the physiological demands of pregnancy and lactation. Requirements for most nutrients are higher for pregnant and lactating women than for adult men. Insufficient nutrient intakes before and during pregnancy and lactation can affect both women and their infants. In many resource poor environments, diet quality for WRA is very poor, and there are gaps between intakes and requirements for a range of micronutrients [19,20].
Infant and young child feeding practices directly affect the nutritional status of children under two years of age and, ultimately, on child survival. …show more content…
First, physiological vulnerability comes with childbearing. Maternal nutrient needs increase during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and when these needs are not met, mothers may experience wasting and fatigue that may limit their ability to fully satisfy infant needs. Second, women have a sociological vulnerability, during periods of reduced food supply, women experience reduced intakes. Furthermore, mothers are likely to reduce their own intakes to secure those of infants and small …show more content…
Hence, maternal undernutrition are prevalent problems in developing countries including Ethiopia; where the main concern is dietary deficit, nutrient adequacy alone is often used to refer to dietary quality. However, quantifying intake of nutrients is often expensive, time consuming and associated with methodological challenges. Dietary diversity is frequently assessed by the use of simple tools such as diversity scores, i.e., the number of food groups consumed over a reference period. These scores are promising measurement tools in industrialized as well as developing countries, and several studies indicate that they are good proxies of overall dietary
Infant and young child feeding practices directly affect the nutritional status of children under two years of age and, ultimately, on child survival. …show more content…
First, physiological vulnerability comes with childbearing. Maternal nutrient needs increase during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and when these needs are not met, mothers may experience wasting and fatigue that may limit their ability to fully satisfy infant needs. Second, women have a sociological vulnerability, during periods of reduced food supply, women experience reduced intakes. Furthermore, mothers are likely to reduce their own intakes to secure those of infants and small …show more content…
Hence, maternal undernutrition are prevalent problems in developing countries including Ethiopia; where the main concern is dietary deficit, nutrient adequacy alone is often used to refer to dietary quality. However, quantifying intake of nutrients is often expensive, time consuming and associated with methodological challenges. Dietary diversity is frequently assessed by the use of simple tools such as diversity scores, i.e., the number of food groups consumed over a reference period. These scores are promising measurement tools in industrialized as well as developing countries, and several studies indicate that they are good proxies of overall dietary