WHO's Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) score of Indian children | Highlights of the study

The team also looked at children's dietary habits across various food groups like proteins and vitamins, comparing data from 2019-21 with that from 2005-06
What does your plate look like?
What does your plate look like?(Pic: EdexLive Desk)
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The Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) score is an evaluation suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO) to examine the quality of the diet of a child. If it contains five or more food groups, including breastmilk, eggs, legumes and nuts, and fruits and vegetables, then it is considered diverse. 

Researchers, analysing National Family and Health Survey data from 2019-21 (NFHS-5) and beyond, stated that the country's overall rate of minimum dietary diversity failure has dropped from 87, stated a report by PTI.

What were the highlights of the study? Let's find out:

1) About 77 per cent of children in India aged 6-23 months lack diversity in diet, with the country's central region showing the highest prevalence of minimum dietary failure

2) The consumption of eggs registered an "impressive" rise, from around 5 per cent in NFHS-3 to over 17 per cent in NFHS-5 while that of legumes and nuts increased from nearly 14 per cent during 2005-06 to over 17 per cent during 2019-21

3) For flesh foods, the consumption increased by 4 percentage points

4) The consumption of breastmilk and dairy products was found to drop from 87 per cent in NFHS-3 to 85 per cent in NFHS-5 and 54 per cent to 52 per cent, respectively

5) Anaemic children and those having a low birth weight were found to have a higher chance of consuming a non-diverse diet

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