Dietary Diversity and Its Associations with Anemia among Women of Reproductive Age in Rural Odisha, India

The aim of this study is to examine diet diversity, predictors associated with it, and its associations with anemia among non-pregnant women of reproductive age in rural India. Baseline data from the Reductions in Anemia through Normative Innovations (RANI) project were used and included 980 non-pregnant women aged 15-49 years from Odisha, India. The Food and Agriculture Organization's Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W) was used to assess diet diversity. Anemia was determined by hemoglobin level and categorized as normal (hemoglobin ≥ 12 g/dL), mild (11 ≤ hemoglobin <12 g/dL) and moderate/severe (hemoglobin < 11 g/dL). Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with diet diversity, and multinomial logistic regression for associations between diet diversity and anemia. Forty-four percent of women were classified as having a diverse diet (MDD-W ≥5). Women with higher education level, belonging to a scheduled caste (vs. tribe), and higher body mass index had higher odds of a diversified diet (p < .05 for all). A more diverse diet was associated with 30% of lower odds of mild anemia (odds ratio = 0.7, 95% confidence interval: 0.5-0.98, p = .035), however, no statistically significant associations were found for moderate/severe anemia. Diet diversity was inversely associated with prevalence of mild anemia among non-pregnant women of reproductive age in rural India.