Consumption of Iron-Rich Foods Among Pregnant and Lactating Women
Indicator Phrasing
English: % of pregnant and lactating women who consumed an iron-rich food the previous day or night
French: % de femmes enceintes et allaitantes ayant consommé des aliments riches en fer le jour ou la nuit précédents
Spanish: % de mujeres embarazadas y lactantes que consumieron un alimento rico en hierro el día o la noche anterior
Portuguese: % de mulheres grávidas e lactantes que consumiram alimentos ricos em ferro no dia ou noite anteriores
Czech: % těhotných a kojících žen, které během uplynulého dne a noci konzumovaly na železo bohatou potravinu
What is its purpose?
The indicator measures the proportion of pregnant and lactating women who in the past day or night consumed any iron-rich food. Iron deficiency increases the risk of maternal mortality during childbirth and reduces work productivity in adults.
How to Collect and Analyse the Required Data
There are two ways of gaining the required data:
> extracting it from your assessment of pregnant and lactating women's overall dietary diversity
> assessing the consumption of iron-rich foods only
In both cases, you first have to decide whether you will count as “iron-rich foods” only animal sources (iron from such sources is absorbed more easily) or also plant sources. IndiKit recommends that you report on both: 1) % of pregnant and lactating women who consumed animal source of iron; and 2) % of pregnant and lactating women who consumed animal and/or plant source of iron.
A) Extracting the Data from Overall Dietary Diversity Survey
1) If your survey involves collecting data for Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W) indicator, extract from the results the number of pregnant and lactating women who ate:
i) any of the animal sources of iron – food group “meat, poultry and fish”
ii) any of the animal and/or plant sources of iron – food groups: “meat, poultry and fish”, “dark green leafy vegetables” and “pulses (beans, peas and lentils)”
2) To calculate the indicator’s value, divide the number of pregnant and lactating women who consumed iron-rich foods the previous day or night by the total number of interviewed pregnant and lactating women. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.
B) Assessing the Consumption of Iron Rich Foods Only
1) Follow the same methodology used for assessing MDD-W. Count the number of pregnant and lactating women who consumed:
i) any of the animal sources of iron – food group “meat, poultry and fish”
ii) any of the animal and/or plant sources of iron – food groups: “meat, poultry and fish”, “dark green leafy vegetables” and “pulses (beans, peas and lentils)”
2) To calculate the indicator’s value, divide the number of pregnant and lactating women who consumed iron-rich foods the previous day or night by the total number of interviewed pregnant and lactating women. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.
Disaggregate by
Disaggregate the data by wealth.
Important Comments
1) The data required for this indicator is prone to seasonal variations. Do your best to collect baseline and endline data in the same period of a year; otherwise, it is very likely that they will not be comparable.
2) Make sure that you do not collect data during the fasting periods (such as pre-Easter or Ramadan) or during fasting days.
Access Additional Guidance
- FAO (2021) Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women - An updated guide for measurement (.pdf)