Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices and the Relationship to Stunting in Zambia

The programme focuses on implementing nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions for households, pregnant mothers, and children 0-23 months of age. Nutrition-specific interventions aim to address the immediate determinants of fetal and child nutrition and development, including improving optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices. Optimal IYCF practices are essential for child health, and the scientific rationale for actions on IYCF is based on peer-reviewed research. However, the uptake of these optimal IYCF practices remains low among children 0-23 months of age in Zambia. The programme targets the underlying determinants of stunting, including food security, adequate caregiving resources, access to health services, and a safe and hygienic environment. The MCDP II Baseline Survey was conducted in 2019 in 30 priority Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) 2.0 districts. The survey found wide disparities in nutritional status and feeding practices across socio-economic levels and between regions and provinces. Among children 0-24 months of age in the 30 SUN target districts, 30.2% were stunted, 9.8% were underweight, and 3.4% were wasted. The risk of stunting increased with age, sub-optimal breastfeeding under 6 months of age, and failure to achieve IYCF practices. Early initiation of breastfeeding is the proportion of children 0-23 months of age who are breastfed within the first hour of birth. Overall, 73.6% of children started breastfeeding early, with no significant differences observed between girls and boys. More infants in rural areas initiated early breastfeeding than those in urban areas. Young mothers 25-39 years of age were most likely to breastfeed early, and the oldest mothers 45-49 years of age were least likely. Mothers with higher education were less likely than other groups to breastfeed early. Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is defined as the proportion of infants 0-5 months of age who are solely fed with breastmilk and never given other foods or liquids. Overall, 68.2% of children ages 0-5 months were reported to have been exclusively breastfed, with more girls than boys exclusively breastfed. Children in rural areas were slightly more likely to be exclusively breastfed than children in urban areas. EBF was widely practiced until children turned 3 months of age, with continued reductions in EBF with each subsequent age by month.