ISSN 2664-3987 (Print) & ISSN 2664-6722 (Online) South Asian Research Journal of Medical Sciences Abbreviated Key Title: South Asian Res J Med Sci | Volume-4 | Issue-2 | Mar-Apr -2022 | DOI: 10.36346/sarjms.2022.v04i02.001 Copyright © 2022 The Author(s): This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium for non-commercial use provided the original author and source are credited. © South Asian Research Publication, Bangladesh Journal Homepage: www.sarpublication.com 19 Original Research Article Associations of Dietary Diversity and Socioeconomic Factors with Anthropometric Failure among Children (6 To 23 Months Old) in Sagnarigu Municipality Sufyan Bakuri Suara (PhD) 1* , Shamsu-Deen Ziblim (PhD) 2 , Salifu Abukari (PhD) 3 , Husseina Ibrahim Adongo (BSc) 4 , Herrick Bapula Sulemani (BSc) 5 1 Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University for Development Studies, Box 1883, Tamale, N/R, Ghana 2 Department of Population and Reproductive Health, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Box 1883, Tamale, N/R, Ghana 3 Department of Social and Behavioral Change, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Box 1883, Tamale, N/R, Ghana 4 Department of Global and Internal Health, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Box 1883, Tamale, N/R, Ghana 5 Department of Allied Health of Sciences, College of Nursing and Midwifery, P. O. Box 10, Nalerigu, North-East Region, Ghana *Corresponding Author Sufyan Bakuri Suara (PhD) Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University for Development Studies, Box 1883, Tamale, N/R, Ghana Article History Received: 24.11.2021 Accepted: 30.12.2021 Published: 17.03.2022 Abstract: Background: The role of adequate nutrition in population health is widely acknowledged. The objective of the study was to determine associations of dietary diversity and socioeconomic factors with anthropometric failure among children (6 to 23 months old) in Sagnarigu Constituency. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, which involved 231 children randomly selected from child welfare clinics within Sagnarigu Municipality. Dietary diversity of children was computed from 8 food groups based on mothers recall of foods child ate in the past 24-hour period (previous day and night) preceding the survey. Child anthropometric data were assessed based on World Health Organization’s (WHO) standard protocols. Results: From a multiple binary logistics regression analysis, children who failed to meet the minimum dietary diversity (MDDS) (1-4 food groups) compared with those who met the MDDS (5-8 food groups) had higher odds for underweight [3.54(1.18-10.60); P = 0.024), stunting [2.97(1.39-6.33); P = 0.005], and a coexistence of multiple growth faltering indicators [2.68(1.38-5.22); P = 0.004]. Also, the odds of stunting in children were higher among those whose mothers lacked formal education compared with those whose mothers had formal education [2.70(1.15-6.32); P = 0.022]. Conclusions: In the study, low MDDS was a significant predictor of stunting, underweight, and the coexistence of multiple indicators of anthropometric failure. The health management team in the Sagnarigu Constituency has to intensify education on the importance of children meeting the MDDS. Keywords: Undernutrition, stunting, wasting, underweight, Sagnarigu. INTRODUCTION Population health is hugely influenced by food and nutrition security. Therefore, nutritional well-being is a fundamental requirement if governments across the world are to achieve global targets in population health [1]. To achieve this, effective nutrition assessment in communities is a valuable tool [1-7]. Children are the future workforce in every nation and their nutritional wellness is instructive for the maintenance of developmental goals [1, 5–7]. Nutritional inadequacies during early years in the child’s life are associated with a myriad of developmental problems such as mental