Feeding of Infants and Young Children in South Asia
Poor breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices predict child stunting and wasting in South Asia, suggesting that initiatives to end undernutrition in the region should focus on improving the diets of young children. This review of the liter...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/831741543414631952/Feeding-of-Infants-and-Young-Children-in-South-Asia http://hdl.handle.net/10986/30928 |
| Summary: | Poor breastfeeding and complementary
feeding practices predict child stunting and wasting in
South Asia, suggesting that initiatives to end
undernutrition in the region should focus on improving the
diets of young children. This review of the literature finds
that South Asia has made relatively good progress in
improving breastfeeding practices compared with other
regions, but the lack of diversity in complementary foods
and low frequency of feeding continue to be problems.
Children who are most at risk of experiencing poor feeding
include those who are born small, have younger mothers, and
live in poorer households or in communities with less access
to, or lower uptake of, primary health services. Initiatives
to improve feeding practices have not produced substantial
improvement, particularly in complementary feeding, because
such efforts have lacked the coverage, intensity,
comprehensiveness, and continuity needed. Policy, legal, and
program actions to protect, promote, and support recommended
feeding practices should be informed by situation analyses
and formative research on context-specific drivers of poor
practices. The actions should involve multiple sectors and
stakeholders, including governments, the private sector,
communities, and households. |
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