Complementary Feeding Practices for South Asian Young Children Living in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.

Logan Manikam,Yasmin Milner,Emma Alexander,Monica Lakhanpaul,Chidi Amadi,Taimur Shafi,Lucy Stephenson,Raghu Lingam,Sonia Ahmed,Isabel Lever

doi:10.3390/nu10111676

Abstract

Sub-optimal nutrition among South Asian (SA) children living in high-income countries is a significant problem. High rates of obesity have been observed in this population, and differential complementary feeding practices (CFP) have been highlighted as a key influence. Our aim was to undertake a systematic review of studies assessing CFP in children under two years of age from SA communities living in high-income countries, including dietary diversity, timing, frequency and promotors/barriers. Searches covered January 1990–July 2018 using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health, Web of Science, BanglaJOL, OVID Maternity and Infant Care, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, POPLINE and World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Health Library. Eligible studies were primary research on CFP in SA children aged 0–2 years. Search terms were “children”, “feeding” and “South Asian”, and derivatives. Quality appraisal used the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information (EPPI) Weight of Evidence scoring. From 50,713 studies, 13 were extracted with ten from the UK, and one each from the USA, Canada and Singapore. Sub-optimal CFP were found in all studies. All ten studies investigating timing reported complementary feeding (CF) being commenced before six months. Promoters/barriers influencing CFP included income, lack of knowledge, and incorrect advice. This is the first systematic review to evaluate CFP in SA children living in high-income countries and these findings should inform the development of effective interventions for SA infants in these settings.

Highlights

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines complementary feeding (CF) as “the process starting when breast milk alone is no longer sufficient to meet the nutritional requirements of infants, and other foods and liquids are needed” [1]
REVIEW 13 studies focusing on complementary feeding practices (CFP) in South Asian (SA) families in high-income countries
Whilst we attempted to contact numerous authors to identify relevant grey literature for our review, due to the breadth and depth of the field of nutritional research, this is unlikely to be exhaustive with publication bias likely to be present. This is the first systematic review to assess CFP amongst the SA population living in high-income countries

Summary

Introduction

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines complementary feeding (CF) as “the process starting when breast milk alone is no longer sufficient to meet the nutritional requirements of infants, and other foods and liquids are needed” [1]. The WHO Infant and Young Children Feeding (IYCF) guidelines, an internationally ratified framework adopted in most high-income countries, state that infants should. Nutrients 2018, 10, 1676 be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health [1]. Thereafter, infants should receive safe and nutritionally adequate complementary foods while breastfeeding continues up to 24 months or beyond. A 2016 meta-analysis reported that early complementary feeding

Objectives

Discussion

Conclusion