cover image: Complementary Feeding Practices among Children 6–24 Months of Age in Zambia: Tackling Sub-Optimal Feeding Practices that Contribute to Poor Growth, Undernutrition, and Stunting

20.500.12592/v1x60j

Complementary Feeding Practices among Children 6–24 Months of Age in Zambia: Tackling Sub-Optimal Feeding Practices that Contribute to Poor Growth, Undernutrition, and Stunting

17 Jan 2022

Children who are stunted are at a greater risk for mortality, morbidity, irreversible poor cognitive development, and diseases later in life.2 Improving complementary feeding of infants and young children, in combination with improvements in their home and community environment, is critical for the prevention of undernutrition and stunting in Zambia and to ensure a future with better health and de. [...] The high prevalence of stunting coincides with the child’s most rapid period of growth, known as the complementary feeding period, from 6 to 24 1 months of age, when nutrient and energy needs are at their peak and children are at increased risk for growth faltering, undernutrition, and infection.8 According to the World Health Organization, a child meets the minimum infant and young child feeding. [...] More dietary diversity, particularly consumption of iron- and protein-rich animal flesh foods, and eggs, is needed to improve the quality and density of the diet to positively impact growth and cognitive development and reduce the prevalence of stunting and micronutrient deficiencies.13 The consumption of empty calories is also of concern: in the day before the survey, 1 in 4 children (25%) in the. [...] Limited availability of diverse foods throughout the year, inadequate caregiver knowledge, and cultural food preferences and taboos contribute to low MAD levels in Zambia.16 This indicator highlights the need for critical action to educate and support families to produce and access enough and diverse food throughout the year to ensure the optimal growth and cognitive development of their infants a. [...] • Protect and promote early, exclusive, and continued breastfeeding by enforcing the Code on Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes,28 supporting and scaling up the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative/10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding,29 and stopping the inappropriate promotion of foods to infants and young children.30 • Strengthen community-wide water, sanitation, and hygiene investments and househ.

Authors

Siegle, Anne

Pages
10
Published in
Zambia