Abstract

Background: Adequate nutrition during infancy and early childhood are critical for the overall development of a child. Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices have direct bearing on nutritional status of children under 2 years of age, thereby impacting child survival. Objectives: To assess and report core and optional indicators of IYCF practices using standardized the WHO formats from a representative sample of a rural community.
Materials and Methods: The present study was observational descriptive cross sectional in nature, conducted over a period of 6 months w.e.f October 2013- April 2014 in Block RS Pura which is a rural field practice area of Department of Community Medicine. Information from mothers of 300 children aged 0-23 months residing in eight randomly selected villages of Block RS Pura were interviewed in a house to house survey using standardized the WHO formats to assess core and optional indicators of IYCF practices.
Results: Some core indicators reflected poor feeding practices, for example, only about half (57.6%) of the children studied were initiated breastfeeding within 6 h after birth. Among those who were initiated early, nearly two-thirds (61.7%) were exclusively breastfed, and in as many as (58.1%), breastfeeding was continued till 1 year of age. Bottle feeding was observed in nearly half of the children studied (51.5%). Solid, semisolid, or soft foods were correctly introduced at 6-8 months in two-thirds of the (66.7%) of infants studied. Nearly, 6 out of 10 mothers maintained minimum meal frequency. Among optional indicators, the consumption of iron-rich or iron-fortified foods was quite infrequent (22%). Conclusion: Figures for indicators of breastfeeding practices were better as compared to figures for indicators of infant feeding. Continued efforts to promote breastfeeding coupled with sustained focus beyond 6 months are needed to improve IYCF indicators.