Predictors of minimum acceptable diet among children aged 6-23 months in Nigeria: analysis of 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) data

Background Despite the potential benefits of the Minimum Acceptable Diet (MAD) guidelines, the uptake has been low in many parts of Africa, where malnutrition is on the rise. This study assessed the predictors and the status of MAD among children aged 6-23 months in Nigeria. Methods This quantitative cross-sectional study used data from the nationally representative Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), 2021. From the dataset, 2622 children were eligible for the study. The outcome variable was MAD while the explanatory variables were grouped into child variables, maternal variables, and household variables. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 and univariate analysis, chi-square tests, and bivariate logistic regression were used for inferential statistics. Results More than one-third (40.7%) of the mothers do not feed their children with a Minimum Acceptable Diet. There was a highly significant relationship between the status of the Minimum Acceptable Diet by region (0.0001), age of the child (0.0001), media exposure (0.001), and institutional delivery (0.042). Logistics regression shows that children from the Northeast, Northwest, south-south, and Southwest are 16%, 16%, 12%, and 41% less likely to receive Minimum Acceptable Diet respectively, and children from the south-eastern region are 60% more likely to receive Minimum Acceptable Diet than children from the Northcentral region. Children aged 6-12 months are 88% more likely to receive a Minimum Acceptable Diet than children aged 12-23 months. Conclusions Geographical region, child’s age, exposure to media, and delivery in a health facility were significant predictors of MAD among children. Therefore, interventions should be channelled towards ensuring increased delivery in healthcare facilities and adequate exposure to media to sensitize women on the MAD.