Abstract
BackgroundSuboptimal child nutrition remains the main factor underlying child undernutrition in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This study aimed to assess the prevalence of minimum acceptable diet and associated factors among children aged 6–23 months old.MethodsCommunity-based cross-sectional study including 742 mothers with children aged 6–23 months old was conducted in 2 Health Zones of South Kivu, Eastern DRC. WHO indicators of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) regarding complementary feeding practices were used. Logistic regression analysis was used to quantify the association between sociodemographic indicators and adequate minimum acceptable diet for both univariate and multivariate analysis.ResultsOverall, 33% of infants had minimum acceptable diet. After controlling for a wide range of covariates, residence urban area (AOR 2.39; 95% CI 1.43, 3.85), attendance postnatal care (AOR 1.68; 95% CI 1.12, 2.97), education status of mother (AOR 1.83; 95% CI 1.20, 2.77) and household socioeconomic status (AOR 1.72; 95% CI 1.14, 2.59) were factors positively associated with minimum acceptable diet.ConclusionActions targeting these factors are expected to improve infant feeding practices in South Kivu.
Highlights
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 and 3 call for an ending all forms of undernutrition, and all preventable deaths under 5 years of age by 2030 [1]
Low socio-economic and maternal educational levels were more prevalent in rural areas than in urban ones (p < 0.05)
Consistent with studies conducted in China [19] and Ethiopia [39], the current study found that mothers with secondary and post-secondary education had higher odds of adequate minimum acceptable diet
Summary
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 and 3 call for an ending all forms of undernutrition, and all preventable deaths under 5 years of age by 2030 [1]. 5.4 million children under-five still die each year, 80% of them in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Almost half of these deaths occur among undernourished children [2, 3]. Optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices rank among the most effective interventions to improve child health. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of minimum acceptable diet and associated factors among children aged 6–23 months old. Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study including 742 mothers with children aged 6–23 months old was conducted in 2 Health Zones of South Kivu, Eastern DRC. Logistic regression analysis was used to quantify the association between sociodemographic indicators and adequate minimum acceptable diet for both univariate and multivariate analysis
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