The household food insecurity access scale and an index-member dietary diversity score contribute valid and complementary information on household food insecurity in an urban West-African setting.

The number of urban poor is increasing quickly in West Africa, yet food security early warning systems still do not include urban areas. One reason is the lack of appropriate and internationally agreed-upon indicators to measure urban household food insecurity. Our objective was to assess the performance of the household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS) and an index-member's dietary diversity score (IDDS) to approximate the adequacy of urban households' diets.

Late introduction and poor diversity were the main weaknesses of complementary foods in a cohort study in rural Burkina Faso.

Objective: In developing countries, the complementary feeding period is critical to the growth of children, notably because of inappropriate complementary feeding practices. A longitudinal study was carried out in a food vulnerable area in Burkina Faso to better understand and describe these practices.

Methods: A cohort of 114 children was followed at the ages of 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 24 mo.