Complementary feeding practices and associated factors among children aged 6-23 months in Pakistan

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nutrition Science
• Global Health

Background:

• Pakistan faces critical challenges with high rates of premature mortality and undernutrition, particularly among infants and young children.
• Inadequate infant and young child feeding practices are identified as primary drivers of these adverse health outcomes.
• Limited understanding exists regarding the specific factors that determine complementary feeding practices within the Pakistani context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the key determinants of inadequate complementary feeding practices in children aged 6 to 23 months in Pakistan.
• To utilize recent, nationally representative data to inform public health strategies.
• To provide evidence-based recommendations for improving child nutrition and reducing mortality.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (2017-18), a nationally representative dataset.
• Application of multivariate regression analysis to identify significant predictors of complementary feeding practices.
• Focus on children aged 6 to 23 months to assess age-appropriate feeding.

Main Results:

• Only 12% of children met the minimum acceptable diet, 21% had minimum dietary diversity, and 38% achieved minimum meal frequency.
• Significant predictors included child's age, birth weight, mother's access to media (newspapers/magazines), household wealth, and community-level prenatal visits.
• These factors collectively influence the quality and adequacy of complementary feeding.

Conclusions:

• Improving complementary feeding practices in Pakistan requires a multi-faceted approach.
• Interventions should address poverty, enhance health practitioner awareness, increase media accessibility, and expand maternal and child healthcare services.
• Successful improvements in feeding practices are expected to reduce premature mortality and undernutrition rates.