(P02-079-25) Diet Quality Among Women of Reproductive Age in Central Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) using the Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS)

Objectives: Measurement of the overall quality of food in terms of nutritional adequacy and the risk of developing communicable diseases in the Central Congo in the RDC

Methods: A Post Event Coverage Surveys (PECS) survey survey was carried out in the province of Central Congo in November 2022. Within the province, 77 administrative entities were selected, including 16 in urban areas and 61 in rural areas. The urban/rural sampling was done in accordance with proportion to population size and distribution. This mixed methods study consisted of: A quantitative, cross-sectional household survey on community-based intensive post-routine coverage, with a two-stage stratified cluster survey (WHO 2015) targeting households with at least one child aged 6 to 59 months at the time of the June 2022 vitamin A supplementation and deworming distribution. The PECS survey consists of 3 parts: (i) socio-demographic information, (ii) information on vitamin supplementation, and (iii) information on dietary quality using the Global diet quality score (GDQS) metric.

Results: A total of 327 women with a mean (SE) age of 29 (0.7) years were interviewed, with 71% living in urban areas.

The mean (SE) overall GDQS was 16.8 (0.2).

The mean (SE) GDQS+, which describes consumption of “healthy” foods was 4.6 (0.3) out of a maximum of 32.

The mean (SE) GDQS-, which describes consumption of “unhealthy” foods, was 12.2 (0.2) out of a maximum of 17.

In terms of the risk of poor outcomes, both in terms of nutrient adequacy and dietary risk factors associated with NCDs, 78% of the women surveyed were classified according to the GDQS in the moderate risk category.

The risk of poor outcomes was similar in urban and rural areas.

Conclusions: Most women in this study had a low GDQS+ score and a moderate risk of poor diet-related health outcomes. This indicates that this population is consuming few healthy foods. Decision-makers need to design policies and programs that will improve the consumption of nutritious foods.

Funding Sources: Givewell