Risk factors of poor complementary feeding practices in Pakistani children aged 6–23 months

A multilevel analysis of the Demographic and Health Survey 2012–2013

Bibliographic Data

ID15536637
AuthorsMuzi (0000-0002-8844-0646, Nutrition 21 (United States)), Víctor M Aguayo (0000-0003-1825-4108, United Nations Children's Fund), Mary Arimond (0000-0003-1357-9077, Nutrition 21 (United States)), Christine P Stewart (0000-0003-4575-8571, Nutrition 21 (United States), corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume13
IssueS2
Publication date2017-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMaternal and Child Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1740-8695 • E-ISSN: 1740-8709
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/mcn.12463
PMID29032630
OpenAlexW2761305565
LanguageEN
Citations received21
References cited40

Appropriate feeding practices are crucial for survival, growth, and development in childhood. This paper analyzes Pakistan's Demographic and Health Survey 2012-2013 to fill the knowledge gap in risk factors of poor complementary feeding practices in Pakistani children. Multilevel models were applied to fit the multistage cluster sample of 2,827 children aged 6-23 months from 489 communities. Introduction of solid, semi-solid, or soft foods (intro) was achieved in 67% infants aged 6-8 months. Among children aged 6-23 months, the proportion of children meeting minimum meal frequency, dietary diversity (MDD), and acceptable diet criteria were 63%, 22% and 15%, respectively. Consumption of legumes and nuts, flesh foods, and vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables was low in all children (6-19%), even among children who met the MDD criteria (15-55%). Younger child age, especially between 6 and 11 months and delayed maternal postnatal checkup were significant individual-level risk factors that consistently increased the odds of not meeting all four criteria examined. Fewer antenatal care visits predicted the odds of achieving intro and minimum meal frequency while younger maternal age and household poverty predicted the odds of achieving MDD and minimum acceptable diet. Community-level factors included geographic region and general access to maternal and child health care services. The overall poor quality of children's complementary diets in Pakistani calls for stronger policy and program action to promote the consumption of key nutrient-dense foods while prioritizing interventions for the most vulnerable children and populations

Behavior change communication · Environmental health · Logistic regression · Meal · Odds · Odds ratio · Population · Poverty · Psychological intervention · Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Demography · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Medicine · Pediatrics