Factors Associated With Complementary Feeding Practices in Afghanistan
Analysis of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2022–2023
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15537185 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hannah Gardner (0000-0003-4454-5558, UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia Kathmandu Nepal), Atma Prakash (Institute of Economic Growth), Shweta Rawal (UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia Kathmandu Nepal), Somayyeh Azimi (0000-0002-1124-3783, World Health Organization - Afghanistan), Said M Yaqoob Azimi (UNICEF Afghanistan Kabul Afghanistan), William Joe (0000-0003-3282-658X, Institute of Economic Growth), Zivai Murira (0000-0003-2662-0542, UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia Kathmandu Nepal), Vani Sethi (0000-0001-9408-2956, UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia Kathmandu Nepal, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | e70003-e70003 |
| Publication date | 2025-02-25 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Maternal and Child Nutrition (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1740-8695 • E-ISSN: 1740-8709 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/mcn.70003 |
| PMID | 40007176 |
| OpenAlex | W4407983597 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 21 |
Children between the ages of 6 and 23 months require the age-appropriate introduction of complementary foods alongside breastfeeding to meet their nutritional needs, but in humanitarian settings children frequently do not receive appropriate diets. Using data from 9193 children aged 6-23 months in the Afghanistan Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2022-2023, this paper provides nationally representative estimates of the percentage of children meeting key IYCF indicators and assesses the child, maternal and household determinants of receiving minimum dietary diversity (MDD), minimum meal frequency (MMF) and minimum acceptable diet (MAD) using multivariable logistic regression. Results showed that 85%, 65% and 93% of children were not fed a diet that met MDD, MMF or MAD criteria, respectively. Older children (18-23 months) had significantly higher odds of meeting all three criteria compared to younger children (6-11 months) (MDD aOR = 2.46, 95% CI: 1.93-3.12; MMF aOR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.11-1.50; MAD aOR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.51-2.65), as did children from the richest households (vs. poorest) (MDD aOR = 2.85, 95% CI: 1.72-4.70; MMF aOR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.35-2.46; MAD aOR = 3.88, 95% CI: 2.14-7.04). There was substantial variation in the odds of all outcomes by region. Rural residence (vs. urban) was also associated with higher odds of receiving MMF (aOR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.25-2.05) and MAD (aOR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.18-2.42) but not MDD. Overall, alarmingly few children in Afghanistan are receiving appropriate complementary diets amidst a context of concurrent political, economic and environmental crises. Reversals to funding reductions are vital to ensure proven interventions responding to the determinants identified here continue to be delivered to support nutrition among Afghanistan's infants and young children
Breastfeeding · Dietary diversity · Environmental health · Food security · Logistic regression · Odds · Odds ratio · Residence · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Demography · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Medicine · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Internal Medicine · Pediatrics
The Global Syndemic of Obesity, Undernutrition, and Climate Change
Learning to eat
Gender-common and gender-specific determinants of child dietary diversity in eight Asia Pacific countries
Relationships between dietary diversity and early childhood developmental outcomes in rural China
Complementary feeding practices
Predictors of complementary feeding practices in Afghanistan
Prevalence and factors associated with complementary feeding practices among children aged 6–23 months in India
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |