LAUSR

OBJECTIVE Dietary diversity in early life can prevent all forms of malnutrition and can establish a healthier dietary pattern for later life. However, multicountry national estimates are lacking. The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of infants and young children (IYC) meeting the minimum dietary diversity (MMD), minimum meal frequency (MMF), and minimum acceptable diet (MAD). METHODS We calculated the proportion of IYC (6-23 mo of age) meeting the updated MDD, MMF, and MAD for 49 low- and middle-income countries. We calculated the proportion of IYC meeting the MDD by region, rural/urban residence, and wealth quintile. The proportion of stunting cases that would have been averted if 90% of the IYC met their MDD was estimated. RESULTS The proportion of IYC meeting MDD, MMF, and MAD was very low. Only 4 of 49 countries had >50% of IYC meeting MDD. The lowest MDD was for the sub-Saharan African region (18%) and the highest was for the Latin America and Caribbean (54%) region. Stark inequalities exist between countries, rural/urban residence, and wealth quintiles. A significant proportion (>11 million) of stunting cases could have been averted if ≥90% of IYC had met the MDD. MDD proportions increased with higher gross national income purchasing power parity, maternal literacy, and food supply diversity (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Closing the gap in dietary inequalities between and within countries is urgently needed to prevent wider, long-term socioeconomic and health inequalities. Diet-quality targets should be set and monitored routinely to promote dietary diversity and prevent all forms of malnutrition.