Project report
Feeding of Infants and Young Children in South Asia
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Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This is a literature review of how infants and young children are fed in South Asia. It finds that breastfeeding practices have improved relatively well compared with other regions. Poor variety of complementary foods and infrequent feeding remain problems. Efforts to improve feeding have not produced substantial improvement, particularly for complementary feeding. The review calls for actions informed by local research and involving many sectors.
Key points
- Poor breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices predict child stunting and wasting in South Asia.
- South Asia has made relatively good progress on breastfeeding compared with other regions.
- Lack of diversity in complementary foods and low feeding frequency continue to be problems.
- Children at highest risk of poor feeding are those born small, with younger mothers, in poorer households, or in communities with less access to or uptake of primary health services.
- Past initiatives lacked the coverage, intensity, comprehensiveness and continuity needed, particularly for complementary feeding.
Limitations
Only a short abstract is available, so the review methods, the studies included and the specific countries covered are not described. It does not give numbers or evaluate any single intervention.
Abstract
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. (South Asia)