Prevalence of minimum dietary diversity and its barriers and facilitators among women of reproductive age in urban slums of North India

Background: India faces a dual challenge where undernutrition coexists with increasing rates of overweight and obesity among women of reproductive age (WRA). This study aimed to determine the prevalence of minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W) and identify the barriers and facilitators that influence dietary diversity.Methods: 450 women from 15 to 49 years of age living in urban slums in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, participated in a community-based cross-sectional study using multi-stage random sampling. The study used MDD-W (≥5 of 10 food groups consumed in the past 24 hours) indicator as a measure of dietary diversity. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to analyse data.Results: Overall, 72.7% of women achieved MDD-W, while 27.3% did not. Women's education (χ²=25.67, p