الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 118 |  |  |
| | | from | 118 | | |
Abstract
Micronutrient malnutrition remains one of the largest nutritional problems worldwide, affecting people in both developed and developing countries (World Health Organization [WHO], 2002). Children are particularly vulnerable to micronutrient deficiency owing to their high nutrient requirements for growth and susceptibility to infectious diseases such as diarrhoea and respiratory infections, which can inhibit nutrient absorption as well as decrease appetite (Ochoa et al., 2004).
The nutrient density of the diet given to young children is often insufficient to meet their nutrient requirements, and increasing the diversity of foods provided to young children, particularly meat, poultry, fish, eggs, fruits and vegetables, is recommended to improve micronutrient intakes. Despite the intuitive link between increasing diversity of the diet and increased nutrient intake, the relationship between dietary diversity and adequate micronutrient intake has not yet been sufficiently validated across different cultural settings and in different age groups (Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) & World Health Organization (WHO), 2003).
There are a positive association between dietary diversity score and nutrient adequacy.