Introduction: The increasing of the variety of foods and food groups in the diet helps to ensure adequate intake of essential nutrients and promotes good health. In the present study, the main objective was to determine the quality of the diet of women, infants and young children in Burkina Faso.
Methods: A 24-hours open recall was used to collect all foods eaten by women, infants and young children in Centre-West Region. The dietary diversity (DD) score equals the number of consumed food groups according to WHO recommendations for infants (6-23 months) and FAO for women and young children (24-59 months). Three dietary diversity classes were determined using the individual DD average. For each dietary diversity class, food consumption profile was determined by food items or groups consumed by at least 50% of women, infants and young children according to FAO guide.
Results: The study was conducted with a sample of 928 women, 546 infants, and 200 young children.
Dietary diversity scores were grouped in three classes named low ( 5) which respectively represented 26.1%, 36.8% and 37.1% of women, and 20.6%, 42.2% and 37.2% of young children.
For infants, this score was classified in low ( 4) representing respectively 27.1%, 14.3% and 58.6%. In agricultural welding period, 35% of women, 41% of infants and 42% of young children were consumed vitamin A-rich foods of animal origin. There were 82% of women, 68% of infants and 86% of young children who consumed iron rich-foods.
Conclusion: The dietary diversity score increased gradually as the age of woman, young children and infant increased. In agricultural welding period, people consumed more iron rich-foods than vitamin A-rich foods.

food women children dietary diversity