Household Food Security, Feeding Practices, and Anthropometric Failure Among Children Aged 6-23 Months: A
Rohan Chatterjee1, Soumalya Ray1, Dipta Kanti Mukhopadhyay1
1Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Insights
Most children in the study had low household food security and lacked a minimum acceptable diet. While male gender and poor diet were linked to undernutrition, household food security was not significantly associated.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Public Health
- Child Development
Background:
- Household food security (HHFS) and age-appropriate complementary feeding (CF) are critical for child growth.
- Undernutrition remains a significant concern in young children globally.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess HHFS, age-appropriate CF, and undernutrition in children aged 6-23 months.
- To determine the association between HHFS, CF, and undernutrition.
Main Methods:
- Institution-based cross-sectional study at a hospital's Pediatric OPD.
- Assessed CF using IYCF indicators, nutritional status via anthropometric failures, and HHFS using a validated questionnaire.
- 430 mother-child dyads participated.
Main Results:
- 83.26% of households had low/very low food security.
- 74.65% of children lacked a minimum acceptable diet (MAD).
- 42.09% of children experienced anthropometric failure; male gender and lack of MAD were associated with this.
Conclusions:
- Lack of MAD was higher in 6-8 month olds, possibly due to improper transition from breastfeeding.
- Strengthening infant and young child feeding (IYCF) education is crucial.
- HHFS was not directly associated with undernutrition in this cohort.
Background:
Household food security (HHFS) and age-appropriate complementary feeding (CF) conceptually play an important role in growth of a child. This study aims to assess the status of HHFS, age-appropriate CF, and undernutrition among children of 6-23 months and their association (if any).
Materials And Methods:
This institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among children attending Pediatric OPD of College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital. Children were assessed regarding age-appropriate complementary feeding using infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices indicator, nutritional status using composite index of anthropometric failure indicators, and HHFS using standardized and validated HHFS short Bengali version questionnaire. Mothers/primary caregivers were the respondents. Categorical variables were expressed in frequency and percentages. Statistical analysis was done in Jamovi (v2.2.5).
Results:
430 mother-child dyads participated in the study with 83.26% of them having low or very low food security. Minimum acceptable diet (MAD) was absent in 74.65% of children and 42.09% of children had single/multiple anthropometric failure(s). Children aged 6-8 months had higher odds of not having MAD (AOR = 3.6, 1.5-8.3). Male gender (AOR = 2.7, 1.7-4.2) and lack of MAD (AOR = 2.7, 1.6-4.7) were associated with anthropometric failure. However, HHFS was not found to be associated with either lack of MAD or anthropometric failure in this study population.
Conclusion:
Improper transition from exclusive breast feeding to CF may be responsible for higher odds of having lack of MAD in 6-8 months age group, which require strengthening of IEC activity related to IYCF practices on or before initiation of complementary feeding.
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