Trends and Influencing Factors of Complementary Feeding Practices in Niger: An Analysis of National Surveys From 2000 – 2018

Abstract

ObjectivesTo examine the trends and influencing factors of suboptimal complementary feeding (CF) practices among children aged 6–23 months in Niger using national data from 2000 to 2018. MethodsUsing data from the 2000 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, 2012 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), and 2018 Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions survey in Niger, the trends and predictors of WHO-UNICEF CF indicators including timely introduction of complementary foods (INTRO), minimum meal frequency (MMF), minimum dietary diversity (MDD), and minimum acceptable diet (MAD) were estimated. Using the most completed data in CF and influencing factors (available from 2012 DHS), multilevel logistic regression models were applied to identify factors at the individual, household and community levels that were associated with meeting INTRO, MMF, MDD, and MAD. ResultsThe weighted proportion of children aged 6–8 months meeting INTRO increased from 56.0% in 2000 to 84.4% in 2018. The weighted proportion of children meeting MMF (51.3% to 77.9%), MDD (9.8% to 14.2%), and MAD (5.6% to 10.9%) also increased between 2012 - 2018. At the individual level, children with mothers who were employed had higher odds of meeting all four indicators as compared to those whose mothers were unemployed. Older child age and maternal exposure to media were significantly associated with higher odds of meeting MMF, MDD, and MAD. Maternal education and child birth weight greater or smaller than average (reference) were positively associated with the odds of meeting MMF and MAD, and antenatal iron supplementation and currently breastfeeding were positively associated with the odds of achieving MDD and MAD. At the household level, the odds of meeting MMD and MAD were higher among children from wealthier households. At the community level, the odds of meeting INTRO and MMF were higher among children from communities with greater access to health services. ConclusionsDespite the improvement in CF practices since 2000, only 10% of children from 6–23 months received minimum acceptable diets. Factors associated with CF were distributed across individual, household and community levels, suggesting the need for multi-level strategies to improve child nutrition in Niger. Funding SourcesUNICEF West and Central Africa Regional Office (Grant # 43279190).