Is Infant and Young Child-feeding (IYCF) a potential double-duty strategy to prevent the double burden of malnutrition among children at the critical age? Evidence of association from urban slums in Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Abstract

BackgroundThis study characterized undernutrition among children (0-24 months) by age groups specified for Infant and Young Child-feeding (IYCF) and determined the association between child malnutrition and IYCF.MethodsThis cross-sectional survey recruited mother-children dyads (N = 1443). WHO standards were used to assess nutritional status and IYCF indicators. Multivariate analyses were performed to assess the association between IYCF and nutritional indicators.ResultsStunting, underweight, wasting, overweight, and obesity were prevalent in 33.1%, 26%, 20.2%, 4.6%, and 2.9% of the children, respectively. Age-wise distribution of undernutrition identified severity of stunting and underweight at 10-24 months (median ConclusionSetting and age-specific interventions to improve age-appropriate child-feeding practices are vital to address the double burden of malnutrition in the critical age group.