Introduction: The increasing of the foods variety and food groups in the diet helps to ensure adequate intake of essential nutrients and promotes good health. The challenge is to maintain adequate nutrients intake during the year. In the present study, the main objective was to determine the women dietary diversity during three agricultural periods of year in Burkina Faso.
Methods: A 24 hours open recall was used to collect all foods eaten by women in Centre-West Region. The dietary diversity score (DDS) equals the number of consumed food groups according to food and agriculture organization (FAO) recommendations for women in 2016. Three dietary diversity classes were determined using the women minimum dietary diversity score as average. Women dietary diversity was low if their DDS 5. Women food consumption profile was determined by food items or groups consumed by at least 50% of them according to FAO guide.
Results: The study was conducted in 985 households three times in the year 2017. During agricultural mitigation, welding and increase periods respectively 83.7%, 74.0% and 78.6% of women had minimum dietary diversity score (DDS ≥ 5).
Respectively 44.5%, 37.1% and 35.6% of women had a high dietary diversity (DDS 5) during agricultural mitigation, welding and increase periods. The period who most of women had the highest dietary diversity score was mitigation followed by welding. This revealed poor dietary diversity of women during agricultural increase (crops) period. During mitigation, vitamin A-rich foods of animal origin were consumed by more women (39.8%) than any other periods. Vitamin A-rich foods of vegetable origin were consumed by most of women (97.6%) in welding period than other periods. The majority of women (94.0%) during agricultural increase period consumed iron rich food groups than other periods of the year.
Conclusion: Most of women (at least 50%) consumed during the three agricultural periods of the year 2017, starchy staples, beans and peas, fishes, vitamin A-rich vegetables and fruits and other vegetables. Another five foods groups were consumed by a minority (less than 50%) of women.

food women dietary diversity