The determinants of the nutritional status of women in the Mopti region

Abstract

The nutritional status of women of childbearing age depends on several determinants. It is in this context that the
present study was initiated with the aim of analyzing the determinants linked to the nutritional status of women in
the region of Mopti in Mali.
A secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional two-stage cluster survey study was carried out in September
2019 among 3,210 women aged 15-49 and their heads of household in the Mopti region. Pearson's chi-square test
was used for comparison of means and varied unit and multiple logistic regression to determine the association of
different factors in the occurrence of underweight of women with a cutoff of p <0, 05.
The study found that 49.5% of heads of household were literate. The average number of living children per woman
was 3 ± 2.1. On average, 93.6% of women of childbearing age ate 3 or more meals per day and 50.9% more than 5
food groups. Being literate or having received Quranic education and having 3 or more living children had a protective effect against the onset of underweight in WRAs after adjusting for the other variables. The dietary
diversity score <5 food groups was a risk factor for the occurrence of underweight after adjusting for other variables.
These factors should be taken into account in the development of intervention strategies to reduce the underweight
of women of childbearing age in the region.