During lactation, consuming a diversified food is essential for the health of mothers and infants. However, most breastfeeding mothers in low-income countries rely on a monotonous staple diet, which can lead to undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and reduced productivity in future generations. Breastfeeding mothers should have a diversified diet. Despite this understanding, there is limited information on the minimum dietary diversity of breastfeeding mothers and its associated factors in the study area. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 632 breastfeeding mothers from March 02, 2024, to July 30, 2024. Participants were selected using simple random sampling techniques, and data were collected through a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with minimum dietary diversity, and statistical significance was declared at a p-value of < 0.05. The prevalence of minimum dietary diversity among breastfeeding mothers was 50.4%. Good nutritional knowledge (AOR = 3.3; 95% CI: 1.9–5.5), decision-making autonomy (AOR = 2.2; 95% CI: 1.3–3.9), consuming three or more meals per day (AOR = 3.3; 95% CI: 1.3–8.0), having home gardening practices (AOR = 2.8; 95% CI: 1.6–4.9), household food security (AOR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.1–5.9), and belonging to a higher wealth index (AOR = 3.3; 95% CI: 1.6–6.8) were independently associated with achieving minimum dietary diversity. The prevalence of minimum dietary diversity among breastfeeding mothers in southeast Ethiopia was low. Higher household wealth index, maternal decision-making autonomy, consumption of three or more meals per day, household food security, home gardening practices, and good nutritional knowledge were significantly associated with achieving minimum dietary diversity. These findings highlight the need for integrated, nurse-led interventions that strengthen maternal nutrition education, promote women’s empowerment in household decision-making, and encourage regular consumption of diversified diets during pregnancy and lactation. In addition, supporting home gardening practices and improving household food security through community-based and multi-sectorial approaches may contribute to improving dietary diversity and overall maternal nutritional status among breastfeeding mothers.
Endeshaw et al. (Thu,) studied this question.