Young Child Feeding Practices Research Articles

Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices amongst mothers in Hospitals of Mohali district (Punjab, India)

India has achieved significant improvement since 2000, yet there are still areas of alarm, notably with regard to child nutrition. Adequate nutrition during infancy and early childhood is critical to each child’s development of his or her full human potential. The period from birth to two years of age is widely acknowledged as a “critical window” for promoting optimal growth, health, and behavioral development. The present study was conducted on 500 mothers of infant and young children (0-24 months) visiting OPDs of government and private hospitals of district Mohali. The respondents were interviewed using a questionnaire provided by WHO (WHO, 2021). It was found that only a few mothers (n=20) practiced hand expression of breast milk irrespective of the type of hospital visiting. A majority gave pre-lacteal food among those visiting both the private and government hospitals. 89.4 percent (n=447) had ever breastfed their infants while a majority visiting government (52.1%) as well as private (53.3%) hospitals practiced exclusive breastfeeding. Reasons for stopping breastfeeding included medical advice, family advise, perceived decreased milk production or birth of another child. IYCF practices were found to be similar amongst mothers visiting the government and private hospitals. Therefore, breastfeeding counselling at antenatal clinics and peer support for exclusive breast feeding as per WHO recommendations should be included as part of breast-feeding promotional programs both in private as well as government hospitals, dispensaries and clinics.

Factors associated with minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency and minimum acceptable diet practices among children 6-23 months of age in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso

The study assessed infant and young child feeding practices and associated factors among 6–23-month-old children in order to inform ongoing and future programs and projects in Bobo-Dioulasso area, in Burkina Faso. Information on child feeding practices and determinants in urban areas is limited in Burkina Faso. Data of 301children, collected in 2013, were considered in this secondary analysis. Questionnaires were used to collect data on respondents’ socio-demographic and economic situation. In addition to the information on child care practices, food consumption data were also collected using a 24h dietary recall questionnaire. Indicators of minimum dietary diversity (MDD), minimum meal frequency (MMF), and minimum acceptable diet (MAD) were constructed and proportion of children meeting these indicators calculated. Binary logistic regression was used to see the association between the outcome variables and explanatory variables, and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with minimum dietary diversity, meal frequency and minimum acceptable diet. Data cleaning and analysis were done using SPSS version 25. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95 % confidence interval (CI) were computed to measure the strength of association. Almost 3 out of 4 mothers (72.5%) were housewives and 62.4% of them were illiterate. Among the 301 children, 40.2% were aged 18-23 months. About half of the children (45.2%) were born to mothers from high income households. The proportion of children 6–23 months who met the MDD and MMF for breastfed and non-breastfed children was 18.3% and 28.9%, respectively. Less than one fifth of breastfed children (16.1%) received MAD. Girls were more likely to meet the MDD (p=0.02) and MAD (p=0.04) than boys. The proportion of children 6-23 months meeting the three complementary feeding practice indicators in Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso were far below the WHO-recommended standard of 90% coverage. The MDD and MAD were positively associated to the female gender. This finding could be used to better target the children in order to improve the effects of the ongoing or future interventions in increasing appropriate complementary feeding practices. Key words: Dietary diversity, acceptable diet, associated factors, children 6-23 months

Paternal perspectives towards infant and young child feeding (IYCF): a qualitative analysis from Coastal South India.

The infant and young child feeding practices (IYCF) decide child growth and well-being. Paternal perspectives and involvement in IYCF are of paramount importance and are grossly under-studied. To study the experiences and opinions of fathers of infants and young children towards feeding practices. Two focus group discussions (FGD) were carried out in the community settings in Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka State. FGDs were carried out in the areas of two selected primary health centres. FGD guide was used and the discussions were audio recorded. Themes were derived from the transcript. Four main themes were generated from the transcripts of two FGDs. Lack of time to involve in child feeding, lack of felt need for increased involvement, sense of being complete in providing paternal care and readiness to learn were the generated themes. All participating fathers had favourable attitudes towards learning more about IYCF. Lack of time felt need for higher paternal involvement in IYCF and sense of being complete in providing paternal care were the themes extracted, along with favourable attitude towards increasing their involvement in IYCF.

The Use of Whatsapp Social Media Group for Nutrition Counselling among Parents with Children of Congenital Heart Defects

Background: Ignorance about appropriate Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Practices among parents of children with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) can exacerbate malnutrition in these children leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Use of novel methods for Intensive Nutrition Counselling such as Whatsapp social media group can lead to considerable improvement in nutritional status of the child.
 Objectives: To assess the efficacy of Whatsapp group for Intensive Nutritional Counselling to parents of children with CHD. 
 Methods: This is a two-year prospective interventional study, one-group before-after study design. Here, intervention is in the form of specialised focussed nutrition counselling for parents of children with CHD through Whatsapp social media group.
 Results: Majority of the patients 16 (30.0%) were in the age group of 7-12 months, predominant diagnosis (25 patients i.e. 48.9%) was Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD). Sixty-eight percent patient-families belonged to lower socio-economic class. Before intervention, 71.1% of children (37 of 52) were found to be underweight, 35.5% children were stunted and 65.6% children were wasted. Post intervention there was significant improvement in all the 3 anthropometric indicators. This intervention particularly helped improve IYCF habits for the age group of 7-12 months. Post intervention all parents included the 8 food groups in their children’s diet thus providing them wholesome nutrition whereas earlier only 2-3 food groups were given to children on a daily basis.
 Conclusion: This is the first study to explore use of Whatsapp group to educate parents of children with CHD about specific nutrition counselling, resulting in improvement in child anthropometric indices.

Evaluation of infant and young child feeding practices in the city of Koutiala (Mali)from April 01 to 30, 2021

Introduction/Objectives: Due to the few studies carried out in Mali on the evaluation of infant and young child feeding practices, this study was carried out. Its objective was to evaluate infant and young child feeding practices in the city of Koutiala from April 01 to 30, 2021. Methods: A cross-sectional and analytical study by cluster survey was carried out among children aged 6-59 months with interview of mothers of children aged 0 to 23 months residing in the city of Koutiala. The study took place in two phases: a collection phase from April 01 to 20, 2021 and a phase devoted to encoding, entry, purification, data analysis and writing from April 21 to 30. 2021. Data entry and analysis were done using Epi-Data and SPSS software, the Chi2 test with a significance level p<0.05 at a 95% confidence interval was used. Results: The study showed that 47.9% of mothers of children were aged 15-25. Nearly 27.9% of mothers of children had secondary education; 62% were housewives and 87% were married women. Nearly 90.9% of mothers had put their children to the breast within 30 minutes after delivery, compared to 3.1% after 30 minutes. Nearly 81.8% of mothers of children had a good knowledge of the quality of colostrum. Nearly 88.3% of mothers introduced complementary feeding between 6-23 months of the child's month against 10.9 who had introduced between 0-5 months. Only 24.5% of mothers breastfed their children 8 or more times a day; 41.4% of mothers breastfed their children until they were 2 years old, compared to 31% who stopped breastfeeding before they were 2 years old.

Reducing inequities in maternal and child health in rural Guatemala through the CBIO+ Approach of Curamericas: 4. Nutrition-related activities and changes in childhood stunting, wasting, and underweight

BackgroundThis is the fourth paper in our supplement on improving the health and well-being of rural indigenous Maya mothers and children in the Western Highlands of Guatemala, where the prevalence of stunting is the highest in Latin America and among the highest in the world. Reducing childhood undernutrition was one of the objectives of the Maternal and Child Health Project, 2011–2015, implemented by Curamericas/Guatemala. The implementation research portion of the Project attempted to determine if there were greater improvements in childhood nutritional status in the Project Area than in comparison areas and whether or not a dose–response effect was present in terms of a greater improvement in the Project Area with a longer duration of interventions. MethodsThe Project provided nutrition-related messages to mothers of young children, cooking sessions using locally available nutritious foods, a lipid-based nutrient supplement (Nutributter®) for a short period of time (4 months), anti-helminthic medication, and repeated growth monitoring and nutrition counseling. Measures of height and weight for calculating the prevalence of underweight, stunting, and wasting in under-2 children were analyzed and compared with the anthropometric data for children in the rural areas of the Northwestern Region and in the Western Highlands of Guatemala.ResultsThe prevalence of stunting declined in Area A from 74.5% in September 2012 to 39.5% in June 2015. Area A comprised approximately one-half of the Project Area and was the geographic area with the greatest intensity and duration of nutrition-related Project interventions. Minimal improvements in stunting were observed in the Northwestern Region, which served as a comparison area. Improvements in multiple output and outcome indicators associated with nutritional status were also observed in Areas A and B: infant and young child feeding practices, routine growth monitoring and counseling, and household practices for the prevention and treatment of diarrhea.ConclusionThe Project Area in which Curamericas/Guatemala implemented the CBIO+ Approach experienced a reduction in the prevalence of stunting and other measures of undernutrition in under-2 children. Given the burden of undernutrition in Guatemala and other parts of the world, this approach merits broader application and further evaluation.

Associations between infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practice and attitudes toward intimate partner violence (IPV) in Timor-Leste

BackgroundBoth the proportions of malnutrition among children and women’s justifying partner’s intimate partner violence (IPV) are high in Timor-Leste. However, no study has looked at the associations between acceptable infant and young child feeding (IYCF) and women’s attitudes toward IPV, as a women’s empowerment index. In light of the lack of evidence described above, the study objective was to examine associations between IYCF practice and attitudes toward IPV in Timor-Leste and other women’s characteristics.MethodsA secondary analysis of children’s records from the Demographic and Health Survey Timor-Leste 2016 was conducted using a cross-sectional design. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to investigate associations between acceptable IYCF and women’s agreement that men are justified in beating their wives for five specific reasons and socio-economic factors.ResultsThe day before the survey, 33.4% of mothers gave their child at least the minimum dietary diversity and 46.4% at least the minimum meal frequency; and 15.0% practiced acceptable IYCF. Among all respondents, 17.5% did not agree that all five specific reasons for beating are justified. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of acceptable IYCF for mothers who did not agree was 1.51 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09–2.09) compared to those who agreed. The aOR of acceptable IYCF for mothers who worked outside the home was 1.48 (95% CI 1.16–1.96) compared to those who did not. Compared to mothers in the poorest quintile, the aORs of acceptable IYCF among those in the poorer, middle, richer, and richest quintiles were 1.33 (95% CI 0.83–2.21), 1.90 (95% CI 1.15–3.14), 2.01 (95% CI 1.17–3,45), and 2.99 (95% CI 1.63–5.50) respectively. Compared to children aged 6–11 months, the aORs of acceptable IYCF for children aged 12–17 months and 18–23 months were 2.14 (95% CI 1.54–2.97) and 1.63 (95% CI 1.14–2.34), respectively.ConclusionsAcceptable IYCF was associated with mothers’ attitudes toward wife-beating, wealth quintile, and mother’s work. Factors that we found associated with IYCF were all related to women’s empowerment. It implies that women’s empowerment is a key to improving mothers’ childcare. Merely promoting a specific childcare practice may not be enough for better child health.

Assessment of infant and young child feeding practices among mothers of Paniya tribal children aged 0-23 months in Gudalur Block, Nilgiris District.

Optimal infant and young child feeding practices (IYCFPs), despite being emphasized since 2003, are yet to be met in India. This study assessed these practices and their association with various factors among mothers of children aged 0-23 months in Paniya tribes in Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu. About 89.1% of the infants below six months were timely breastfed and 77.9% of them were exclusively breastfed, respectively. Complementary food was introduced to 25% of infants aged six to eight months. About 27.8% of them received a diverse diet. About 91.7% of them were fed egg and/or flesh food and 37% of them were fed vegetables and fruits. Illiterate mothers and mothers who had a vaginal delivery fed the infant optimally. The adherence to these practices was found to decrease gradually with an increase in the infant's age. The prevalence of IYCFP is higher in the study population compared to the corresponding indicators for the district according to the National Family Health Survey-5.

Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices and it’s determinants in flood-affected communities in Edo State, Nigeria

The immediate effect of child malnutrition in Africa is morbidity. In the longer term, it limits the child’s potential for life even when the child manages to survive its instantaneous effects. This cross-sectional study focused on investigating the socio-demographic determinants of the components of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) in flood-affected Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Edo State, Nigeria. A total of 400 mothers were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results from this current study indicate that only about 48% of mothers surveyed exclusively breastfed theirs under 5 children. Also, only about 55% of mothers initiated breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth and gave colostrum, and about 45% of the mothers actually adhered strictly to the prescribed complementary feeding practice of giving nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods alongside breastfeeding at six months up till 2 years of age and even beyond. Education, source of income, marital status, and access to healthcare facilities were strong influencers of misconceptions and other factors impeding the implementation of the core components of IYCF as observed in this study. Flood remains a significant contributing factor depleting household food security structures leading to maternal and infant malnutrition. A concerted governmental coordinated intervention is required to relieve flood-affected families of the burden of malnutrition and infectious diseases. Training and retraining of health workers will be helpful in strengthening community involvement in implementing and monitoring IYCF components in the community. Longer maternity leave for nursing mothers should be strongly advocated for.

Factors driving underweight, wasting, and stunting among urban school aged children: Evidence from Merawi town, Northwest Ethiopia.

Prior research identified malnutrition as one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among children globally. Furthermore, research revealed that over two thirds of deaths associated with inappropriate feeding practices occurred during the early years of life. Improper feeding practices impact a child's health in many different ways. However, research on the possible factors driving underweight, wasting, and stunting among school aged children in developing countries is limited, hence warrant further attention. Against this backdrop, this research strives to identify and assess the determinants of underweight, wasting and stunting among school aged children of a developing country-Ethiopia. A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 1, 2018 to June 15, 2018 in Merawi town, Ethiopia. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 422 children. Binary logistic regression technique was performed to examine the effect of each selected variable on the outcome measure. The prevalence of being underweight, wasting and stunting was found to be 5.7%, 9.8%, 10.4%, respectively. The age of the child [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 12.930 (2.350, 71.157)] and the number of children [AOR = 8.155 (1.312, 50.677)] were emerged as the key determinants for underweight, and the gender of the child was significantly associated with wasting [AOR = 0.455 (0.224, 0.927)]. Finally, the age of the child [AOR = 12.369 (2.522, 60.656)] was found to predict the risk of stunting. This study revealed the age, number of children and gender of the child to have a significant association with malnutrition. The findings of this research suggest that in improving the feeding practices of young school-aged children, special attention should be paid to female children and those coming from relatively large families.

Interlinkages between Climate Change and Food Systems: The Impact on Child Malnutrition-Narrative Review.

The pandemics of obesity, undernutrition, and climate change represent severe threats to child health. They co-occur; interact with each other to produce sequelae at biological, psychological, or social levels; and share common underlying drivers. In this paper, we review the key issues concerning child diet and nutritional status, focusing on the interactions with climate and food systems. Inadequate infant and young child feeding practices, food insecurity, poverty, and limited access to health services are the leading causes of malnutrition across generations. Food system industrialization and globalization lead to a double burden of malnutrition, whereby undernutrition (i.e., stunting, wasting, and deficiencies in micronutrients) coexists with overweight and obesity, as well as to harmful effects on climate. Climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic are worsening child malnutrition, impacting the main underlying causes (i.e., household food security, dietary diversity, nutrient quality, and access to maternal and child health), as well as the social, economic, and political factors determining food security and nutrition (livelihoods, income, infrastructure resources, and political context). Existing interventions have the potential to be further scaled-up to concurrently address undernutrition, overnutrition, and climate change by cross-cutting education, agriculture, food systems, and social safety nets. Several stakeholders must work co-operatively to improve global sustainable nutrition.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Of Mothers Regarding Infant & Young Child Feeding Practices (Iycf) In a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Young Child Feeding Practices (IYCF) includes breast feedind and complementary feeding. Proper feeding practices are essential for proper nutrition, growth, development and survival of infant and young children.Maternal knowledge and feeding attitude has been shown to be a stronger predictor of breast feeding initiation and complementary feeding practice. Objectives: To evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices of mothers regarding infant and young child feeding. Material and Methods: This cross sectional study was done in Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka from June 2017 to November 2017.A total number of 218 mothers having children between 0-23 months were included.Modified Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS) and 5 point Likert scale was applied to assess maternal attitude towards infant and young children feeding. The relationship between infant feeding knowledge, attitude and practices and socio-demographic variables was tested by using Chi-square test. Relationship among mothers knowledge, attitude and practices regarding IYCF was showed by Spearman’s correlation. Results: The study result showed that, 83.5% mothers had good knowledge about IYCF but only half of them had good practice. Almost everyone ( 99.1% ) agreed that breast milk is best for new born baby. Most of the mother (94%) knew that exclusive breast feeding should be given for six months but only half of them (51.1%) practiced EBF.Though 72.5 % mothers had positive attitude towards breast feeding but about two third (63.6%) of them gave formula milk within 6 completed months. About two third of mothers (60.2%) used bottle for feeding their child. Most of the mother (94%) had knowledge about complementary feeding but only 55.7% mother provide complementary feeding accurately with atleast four different types of food. This study showed that educational background has significant relationship with KAP of mothers regarding IYCF. Conclusion: The study concluded that, majority of the mothers had good knowledge and a positive attitude towards breastfeeding and complementary feeding but they did not practice this properly.There is a strong association between mother’s educational background and KAP (Knowledge, attitude & practice) regarding IYCF. J Dhaka Med Coll. 2021; 29(1): 43-51

Infant and young child feeding practices are associated with childhood anaemia and stunting in sub-Saharan Africa

BackgroundThe co-occurrence of anaemia and stunting (CAS) presents acute development and morbidity challenges to children particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Evidence on the effect of child feeding recommendations on CAS is scarce.MethodsWe used data from 22 recent Demographic and Health Surveys in SSA countries to examine the association between caregivers’ implementation of recommendations on infant and young child feeding and the CAS in their 6- to 23-mo-old children.ResultsOverall, in multiple logistic regression models, child feed index score, high wealth of household, increasing household size, household head with at least secondary school education, improved sanitation of household, an increase in caregiver’s age and caregiver’s with at least secondary education were associated with lower odds of CAS (i.e., AOR: 0.86; 95% CI; 0.84 – 0.88: 0.75; 0.69 – 0.82: 0.98, 0.98 – 0.99: 0.76, 0.70 – 0.83: 0.81, 0.74 – 0.87: 0.87, 0.81 – 0.94: 0.69, 0.62 – 0.77 respectively). Having a diarrhoea in the past 2 weeks and having fever in the past month were associated with higher odds of CAS (AOR:1.1, 95% CI; 1.0 – 1.2: 1.1, 1.0 – 1.2, respectively). Results from the decision tree analysis showed that the educational level of women was the most important predictor of CAS, followed by child feeding score, the level of education of the family head and state of drinking water.ConclusionThe results buttress the importance of interventions aimed at improving feeding practices and parental educational as a vehicle to improve children’s nutritional status.

Fathers’ involvement in complementary feeding of children in Damot Woyde District, South Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study

BackgroundIn infant and young child feeding practice parents are the primary agents for childcare activities, such as feeding. Mothers’ role in infant and young child feeding practice has been the focus of previous research. The involvement of fathers in child-feeding practice has rarely been studied. Thus, this study aimed to assess fathers’ involvement in the complementary feeding of children and identify factors associated with it in Southern Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted which included a survey, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions (FGDs). The survey was conducted with 593 fathers who have at least one child of age 6-23 months. Four FGDs were conducted with fathers, and 21 in-depth interviews were conducted with fathers, mothers, and community health workers. The survey data were entered into Epi data software version 1.4.4.0 and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software version 20. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed and statistical significance was considered at p < 0.05. All interviews and FGDs were transcribed, coded, categorized, and analyzed using open code software version 4.0.2.ResultsOf the total sample of 593, 50.9% of the fathers in the study were involved in their children’s complementary feeding practices. Fathers with better household income (AOR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.09, 2.22) and good perception of child complementary feeding practice (AOR = 1.79; 95% CI: 1.28, 2.52) were more likely to be involved in their children’s complementary feeding practice. The majority of the fathers had better knowledge about the recommended complementary feeding practices.ConclusionsIncome-generating activities and behavioral change communication for fathers should be encouraged to improve their involvement in child feeding. Community-based nutrition programs should also give due attention to increasing the involvement of fathers.

Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices and Mycotoxin Contamination of Complementary Food Ingredients in Kongwa District, Tanzania

BackgroundInadequate infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in low income countries contribute to poor child growth and development. ObjectivesTo assess IYCF practices and mycotoxin contamination in complementary food ingredients across 2 seasons in Kongwa District, Tanzania. MethodsEarly feeding practices in 115 rural households from 25 villages in Kongwa District, Dodoma region, Tanzania, were assessed. The primary caregiver for the index child (6–18 mo of age) was interviewed using a structured dietary questionnaire at recruitment (October/November 2017), and revisited 6 mo later. The questionnaire included questions on typical food consumption in the past 24 h. This study reports 7 of the revised and new IYCF indicators, including minimum dietary diversity (MDD). Aflatoxins (AF) and fumonisins (FUM) were analyzed in complementary food ingredients for pooled household samples to broadly establish patterns of contamination at the village level. ResultsThe MDD was not met for 80% of infants at recruitment (survey 1) as compared with 56% in survey 2 (P < 0.05). Changes in MDD between the 2 surveys were dependent on season but not age. Maize was consumed by >90% of households in both surveys, whereas groundnut was consumed by 44% and 64% of households in surveys 1 and 2, respectively. AF concentrations in maize and groundnuts were found to be higher in survey 1 than in survey 2. Overall, AF exceeded the legal limit in 18% of maize and 61% of groundnut pooled samples in both surveys. Maize was also contaminated with significant FUM concentrations. ConclusionsPoor diets were common among children in Kongwa District. Reliance on maize and groundnuts exposes this vulnerable age group to AF (also to FUM in maize). Inadequate diet and exposure to AF and FUM have separately been linked to linear growth retardation. Low diet diversity and mycotoxins contamination are plausible causes for poor growth and development among infants in Central Tanzania. Curr Dev Nutr 20XX;x:xx.

Impact of Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices on the Nutritional Status of Children in Northern Bangladesh

Background: Proper feeding practices are essential for attaining and maintaining optimum nutrition, health, and development of infants and children. Exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life and continued breastfeeding for two years, together with age-appropriate, nutritionally adequate complementary feeding initiated after six months of age, are optimum Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices. However, often many aspects of infant and young child feeding practices are not optimum, with serious consequences for the child.&#x0D; Objective: To determine the impact of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices on the nutritional status of children. Materials and Method: This Cross-sectional descriptive type of study was conducted among 314 children from 6 months to 24 months of age at the Pediatric Outpatient Department and EPI center of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital during the period of January 2017 to December 2018. Collected data were analyzed by using 'SPSS version 16.&#x0D; Result: Among 314 children exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rate was 68.2% for the first six months, and timely started complementary feeding was 58.5% of cases. In 214 exclusive breastfed infants, only 4.7% and 1.4% of children were moderate to severely wasted and stunted, respectively. On the other hand, among 97 infants who were not exclusively breastfed, the percentage of moderate to severe wasting and stunting was 11.4% and 13.4%, respectively. Among the 175 timely started complementary feeding children, only 12% and 6% were moderate to severely underweight and wasted, respectively, no one was stunted, but among the inappropriately started complementary children, 20.2%, 12.5%, and 12.8% were moderately to severely underweight, wasted and stunted respectively.&#x0D; Conclusion: Most of the children who were given exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months and started complementary food at an appropriate time after six months had normal nutritional status. Both moderate to severe stunting and wasting were common in those children who were non-exclusively breastfed and started complementary feeding either early or late.&#x0D; TAJ 2022; 35: No-2: 83-91

Effect of a Nutrition Education Intervention on Mothers’ Infant and Young Child Feeding Knowledge and Practices in the Peri-Urban Areas of Bobo-Dioulasso: Before and after Study

Background: This study assessed the effect of a nutrition education intervention aiming to improve the knowledge and practices of under 5 years children’s mothers on infant and young child feeding in peri urban areas of Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso. Methods: A total of 243 mothers of children under 5 years in the peri-urban of Bobo-Dioulasso were surveyed before and after the intervention using the FAO questionnaire for infant and young child feeding (IYCF) knowledge and practices assessment in January and October 2017. The intervention included two components consisting of a theoretical phase (counselling and discussion) and cooking demonstrations implemented for ten months. To account for the before-and-after design of the study, the McNemar’s test was used to assess the effect of the intervention on mothers’ infant and young child feeding knowledge and practices. Results: The mean age of mothers was 29 ± 6.2 years and 50.6% of the mothers were between 20 and 29 years old. All indicators used to assess the mothers’ knowledge of breastfeeding and complementary feeding significantly improved after the intervention (all p-values Conclusion: The intervention improved the mothers’ knowledge on breastfeeding and complementary feeding and some child feeding practices. This study provided some evidence of an effective nutrition education intervention to increase maternal knowledge and practices.

Implications of Young Child Malnutrition on Health and Development: Prioritize Nutrition Interventions in the First 1000 Days of Life

Implications of child undernutrition is not limited to adverse impact on physical growth but on optimum brain growth, mental health and cognitive development. The adverse effects of micronutrient deficiencies in mothers and children are serious with impact on morbidity, mortality, anemia, school performance, overall productivity and national development. Only in the last two decades, studies on the month-wise trend in the prevalence rate of child undernutrition in under five years has drawn attention to the fact that the stunting and underweight rate increases steadily up to 24 months, peaks at about two years of age and then stabilises. Efforts are therefore being directed to the significance of concentrating on implementation of child undernutrition preventive measure in the first 1000 days of life. As per the globally accepted conceptual framework of child malnutrition and the evidence available of effective interventions, emphasis is to ensure universal coverage of selected package of essential nutrition interventions (ENIs) and coupling these with nutrition sensitive interventions. Priority interventions in the first 1000 days comprise nutrition care package linked to antenatal care services, intensive efforts for universal adoption of appropriate infant and young child feeding practices and context specific nutrition sensitive measures .For effective implementation, special attention to mapping of the ’at risk’ households having a member falling in the 1000 days window needs special attention. The contacts of health workers with antenatal care and routine child immunization services need to be effectively used for promoting appropriate maternal nutrition care and breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices in the first 1000 days of life. Along with universal coverage of ‘at risk’ households with ENIs, it is imperative to ensure that the context specific nutrition sensitive interventions are simultaneously addressed, as reflected in the design of India’s National Nutrition Mission/Poshan2.0.

Роль первичного звена здравоохранения в организации питания детей грудного и раннего возраста

Objective. To assess infant and young child feeding practices from a local pediatrician’s perspective. Patients and methods. The empirical research based on a questionnaire survey of 50 local pediatric specialists in Voronezh children’s clinics was conducted. The questionnaire contained questions related to the issues of nutrition for children aged 0–3 years. Results. The analysis of survey results showed that the promotion of breastfeeding begins mostly during the prenatal period (60%). The questions related to artificial feeding arise among mothers from the birth of a child to 3 months of age (up to 50%); thereafter, their frequency decreases significantly (to 12%). Pediatricians do not always have enough time to talk to parents about principles for introducing complementary foods. Parents’ engagement in their child’s nutrition decreases after 1 year of age. Conclusion. Most respondents believe that the developed computer program will help to organize an adequate dietary plan for infants and young children. It will reduce the amount of time that specialists spend on pediatric nutrition counseling and draw parents’ attention to the issues of early childhood nutrition. Key words: infant and young child nutrition, breastfeeding, complementary feeding, rickets prevention, nutrition calculation software

Prevalence of Double Burden of Malnutrition among Young Children in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: The double burden of malnutrition (DBM), which refers to the coexistence of obesity and stunting in children, is a newly emerging form of malnutrition and a significant issue in developing countries, including India. Many of these countries are in the third stage of the epidemiological transition and undergoing rapid urbanisation, leading to increased availability of processed food, mechanisation of work, and sedentary lifestyles. These factors present a unique challenge in combating DBM. Due to the lack of evidence on DBM in India, particularly among young children, the current study was conducted. Aim: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of DBM among children under six years of age and identify its biosocial determinants. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Urban Anganwadi Centres of Tehsil Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India. The study spanned six months, from November 2021 to April 2022, and included a total of 310 children from 13 Anganwadi Centres. Data collection was performed using a validated and pretested semi-structured questionnaire through Epicollect 5.0. The collected data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. Pearson’s Chi-square test was employed to examine the association between various biosocial determinants (sociodemographic factors, Infant and Young Child Feeding practices, and screen time) and DBM. Results: The study included 310 children under six years of age, among whom 11 (3.5%) exhibited DBM. The prevalence of DBM was higher in females, with 8 (5.2%) affected, compared to males, with 3 (2%) affected. Among the females, DBM was more prevalent in the age group of 2-5 years, with five cases. Six out of the 11 children with DBM belonged to the lower-middle class. Additionally, 7 (4%) of the DBM children were breastfed immediately, while 4 (3.5%) were breastfed after a few hours or days. The prevalence of DBM in urban areas of Rishikesh (3.5%) was higher than the national average of 2.8% reported in the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) 2016- 2018 report. Conclusion: Although, the present study had a small sample size, it offers valuable insights and fills the data gap regarding the estimation of DBM at the individual level and the association of various factors in this specific age group. DBM was more prevalent in females compared to males, suggesting a genderrelated disparity in the occurrence of DBM among young children. However, further research is needed to understand the underlying factors contributing to this difference and to develop targeted interventions.