Dietary Diversity Among Poor Households

Abstract

Background: Household food security encompasses not only the quantitative availability of food but also dietary diversity and quality, which are essential determinants of the nutritional adequacy of household members. The Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) indicator was developed as a rapid measure to reflect a household's economic ability to access various food groups in the short term (the last 24 hours), thus serving as a proxy for the level of food access and household food security status.

Research Purposes: This study aimed to assess dietary diversity and identify the types of food consumed by poor households in Kupang City.

Research Methods:  This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to assess dietary diversity among poor households in Kupang City with a sample of 138 households. Measurement of household dietary diversity was carried out using the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) instrument developed by the FAO.

Research Result: The findings indicate that most households exhibited  a high level of dietary diversity. When categorized according to FAO criteria, 71.74 percent of households have a dietary diversity score of more than 6, while 28.26 percent of households are in the medium category (score 4–5), and no households are included in the low category (<3). However, when using categories based on average values, the results are slightly different, with 61.59 percent of households having a dietary diversity score below average (<6), while 38.41 percent were above average (>6).

Conclusion: These findings suggest that household diets were dominated by staple carbohydrate foods and vegetable, whereas the consumption of  fruits and animal source foods remained low.