Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices among Adolescent Mothers and Associated Factors in India
Mansi Vijaybhai Dhami1, Felix Akpojene Ogbo1,2, Thierno M O Diallo3,4
1Translational Health Research Institute (THRI), School of Medicine, Campbelltown Campus, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2571, Australia.
Insights
Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices are suboptimal among adolescent Indian mothers, particularly for complementary feeding. Interventions must address factors like maternal education and healthcare access to improve child nutrition.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Nutrition Science
- Maternal and Child Health
Background:
- Adequate infant and young child feeding (IYCF) is crucial for child survival and development.
- Adolescent mothers, especially in India, face challenges in IYCF due to limited knowledge, increasing risks of adverse outcomes.
- Globally, 18 million babies are born to mothers aged 18 or less, highlighting the need to study IYCF in this demographic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the factors associated with infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices among adolescent mothers in India.
- To assess the prevalence of key IYCF indicators in this population.
- To identify specific areas for targeted health and nutritional support interventions.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study utilizing data from the 2015-2016 India National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4).
- Analysis included 5148 children aged 0-23 months and their adolescent mothers.
- Survey logistic regression was employed to identify factors associated with IYCF practices.
Main Results:
- Prevalence rates for key IYCF indicators were low: exclusive breastfeeding (58.7%), early initiation (43.8%), timely complementary feeding (43.3%), minimum dietary diversity (16.6%), minimum meal frequency (27.4%), and minimum acceptable diet (6.8%).
- Maternal education, antenatal care (ANC) visits, child's age, and household wealth significantly influenced breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices.
- Factors like mode of delivery and geographical region also played a role in breastfeeding, while marital status was associated with complementary feeding.
Conclusions:
- Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices among adolescent Indian mothers are generally suboptimal, with breastfeeding being an exception.
- Maternal education, healthcare access (ANC visits), and socioeconomic status are key determinants of IYCF practices.
- Interventions should be tailored to address these specific factors to improve IYCF outcomes for children of adolescent mothers in India.
Abstract:
Adequate infant and young child feeding (IYCF) improve child survival and growth. Globally, about 18 million babies are born to mothers aged 18 years or less and have a higher likelihood of adverse birth outcomes in India due to insufficient knowledge of child growth. This paper examined factors associated with IYCF practices among adolescent Indian mothers. This cross-sectional study extracted data on 5148 children aged 0-23 months from the 2015-2016 India National Family Health Survey. Survey logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with IYCF among adolescent mothers. Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding, early initiation of breastfeeding, timely introduction of complementary feeding, minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency, and minimum acceptable diet rates were: 58.7%, 43.8%, 43.3%, 16.6%, 27.4% and 6.8%, respectively. Maternal education, mode of delivery, frequency of antenatal care (ANC) clinic visits, geographical region, child's age, and household wealth were the main factors associated with breastfeeding practices while maternal education, maternal marital status, child's age, frequency of ANC clinic visits, geographical region, and household wealth were factors associated with complementary feeding practices. IYCF practices among adolescent mothers are suboptimal except for breastfeeding. Health and nutritional support interventions should address the factors for these indicators among adolescent mothers in India.
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