Feeding Practices Among Children Aged 6-36 Months Living in Urban Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire: The Victory Cross-Sectional...

Micronutrient deficiencies, often resulting from the consumption of diets with low nutritional value and diversity, remain a major public health concern for children in low-income countries. Understanding food consumption practices is crucial for providing an evidence-based foundation for designing and implementing effective intervention strategies to address micronutrient deficiencies in vulnerable geographies and populations.

To assess infant feeding practices and dietary intakes of healthy children aged 6-36 mo living in Abidjan, Cote Ivoire.

Food and beverage intake was collected by their mother using an interview-based 24-h dietary intake questionnaire. Dietary intake was assessed after classification based on food groups and subgroups defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization, adjusted to reflect Ivorian food specificities. Dietary quality was evaluated through dietary diversity scores.

Four hundred seven children were included (6-11 mo old: n = 213; 12-23 mo old: n = 135; and 24-36 mo old: n = 59; 53% female). Exclusive and nonexclusive breastfeeding prevalence at 6 mo was 37% and 95%, respectively. Breastfeeding continuation rates were 85%, 38%, and 3% in the 6- to 11-, 12- to 23-, and 24- to 36-mo-old group, respectively. The most consumed food groups were dairy (92% of the sample), cereals (88%), roots, tubers, and starchy foods (38%), fish (49%), and vegetables (41%), whereas meat (11%), fruits (15%), eggs (15%), pulses (3%), and seeds and nuts (2%) were seldom consumed. Milk intake decreased with age, whereas cereal and starchy food consumption increased. Dietary diversity was low (dietary diversity score: 3.3 ± 1.4), increasing with age. The proportion of children not meeting the minimum dietary diversity was 74%.

The study provided information on the dietary intake of children aged 6-36 mo. The results showed that the children's feeding practices and dietary intakes are suboptimal. This calls for interventions to improve child feeding practices in this age group.