Factors Associated with Failure to Achieve Minimum Dietary Diversity among Women and Children under Five Years in Yangambi, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

Introduction: Food insecurity remains a major public health problem worldwide, characterized not only by insufficient food intake but also by low dietary diversity. This situation particularly affects women and children under five years of age and constitutes a major determinant of malnutrition. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, low dietary diversity remains common, especially in rural settings such as Yangambi. This study aimed to analyze the factors associated with failure to achieve minimum dietary diversity among women and children under five years of age in Yangambi. Methods: This analytical cross-esctional study was conducted from january to april 2026 in Yangambi, Tshopo province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. This study included 614 women and their children under five years of age selected using a two-stage cluster probability sampling method. Sociodemographic, socioeconomic, environmental, and dietary date were collected using a structural questionnaire. Data were analyzed using STATA version 13. Associations between dependent and independent variables were assessed using binary logistic regression. Results were expressed as Odds Ratios (Ors) with 95% confidence intervals, and statistical significance was set at p Results: A total of 614 women and their children under five years of age were included in the study. Failure to achieve minimum dietary diversity was observed among 55.54% of women and 84.53% of children. After multivariate adjustment, the main factors associated with failure to achieve minimum dietary diversity were the educational level of the household head, marital status of the household head, woman’s age, woman’s physiological status, child’s age, amount spent on food, and household hunger index. Conclusion: Failure to achieve minimum dietary diversity remains high among women and children under five years of age in Yangambi. It is mainly associated with several sociodemographic, nutritional, and socioeconomic factors. Strengthening nutritional interventions and food security programs targeting vulnerable households appears necessary to improve dietary diversity in rural areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.