MDD-W

Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women of Reproductive Age (MDD-W)

The Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women of Reproductive Age (MDD-W) is a widely used food group diversity indicator that reflects micronutrient adequacy in women aged 15-49. As a dichotomous indicator, MDD-W results demonstrate the proportion of women of reproductive age (WRA) who have consumed at least five out of ten food groups the previous day or night.

A higher prevalence of MDD-W is a proxy indicator for higher micronutrient adequacy among women of reproductive age in the population as groups who consume foods from at least five or more food groups are more likely to consume at least one animal-source food.

MDD-W is a population-level indicator that is based on the recall period of a single day and night and therefore, it cannot be used to describe the diet quality for an individual woman due to normal day-to-day variability. It should also be noted that while the MDD-W provides a useful population benchmark of five or more food groups consumed by women of reproductive age, it does not ensure micronutrient adequacy for the population particularly if micronutrient-dense foods are consumed in small quantities.

The MDD-W can be conducted using either the open recall method or the list-based method. With open recall, the enumerator asks the respondent standard probing questions to help them remember the foods and beverages they consumed during the day and night in the last 24hr period. Conversely, with the list-based method the enumerator provides a list of food and beverages and the respondent simply answers “yes” or “no” for each food consumed during the day and night within the last 24hr period.

Anecdotal evidence shows that the list-based method usually provides a less complete picture of what respondents consume compared to the open recall method. However, our project looks to improve the list-based MDD-W by adapting it into a mobile app and thus allowing respondents to record the foods they consume during rather than after the 24hr period without needing to rely on their memory.

Below is the formula for MDD-W.

While MDD-W is currently one of the more favourable and useful food group diversity indicators, there is still room to augment diet diversity assessment given how costly it is to conduct not to mention the sheer drudgery that goes with conducting the surveys. To reduce the cost and drudgery of MDD-W implementation, this project looks to adapt the list-based MDD-W into a mobile assessment tool making the survey more respondent-friendly.