Association Between Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices and Nutritional Status Among Children Aged 6 to 24 Months in Terengganu

Abstract

Infant and young child feeding practices (IYCF) have an important role in defining children's nutritional status and optimizing a child's development rate in the first two years of life. This study aimed to determine the association between infant and young child feeding practices and the nutritional status of children aged 6 to 24 months in Kuala Nerus and Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu. A total of 293 mothers and children aged between 6 to 24 months were recruited in this cross-sectional study. Anthropometrics comprised weight and height/length. The nutritional status of the children, namely weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ), height/length-for-age z-scores (LAZ) and weight-for-length z-scores (WLZ) were generated based on WHO Child Growth Standard. IYCF practices among participants were determined using a validated questionnaire adapted from FAO. A total of 52.2% boys and 47.8% girls participated in this study. The prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight among children were 26.3%, 6.8%, and 14.7% respectively. The majority (70.6%) of the participants have good practice on IYCF. However, there is no significant association between IYCF practices and the nutritional status of the children (p>0.05). In conclusion, the majority of the participants have good practice with IYCF and only 1.7% have poor practice. Therefore, by promoting the IYCF practices, it can be a great tool to assess the health status of the children.