Moving forward with complementary feeding: indicators and research priorities

For a number of reasons, progress in improving child feeding practices in the developing world has been remarkably slow. First, complementary feeding practices encompass a number of interrelated behaviors that need to be addressed simultaneously. Child feeding practices are also age-specific within...

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Main Authors: Ruel, Marie T., Brown, Kenneth H., Caulfield, Laura E.
Format: Brief
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2003
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/157585
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author Ruel, Marie T.
Brown, Kenneth H.
Caulfield, Laura E.
author_browse Brown, Kenneth H.
Caulfield, Laura E.
Ruel, Marie T.
author_facet Ruel, Marie T.
Brown, Kenneth H.
Caulfield, Laura E.
author_sort Ruel, Marie T.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description For a number of reasons, progress in improving child feeding practices in the developing world has been remarkably slow. First, complementary feeding practices encompass a number of interrelated behaviors that need to be addressed simultaneously. Child feeding practices are also age-specific within narrow age ranges, which add to the complexity of developing recommendations and measuring responses. Finally, the lack of clear international recommendations for some aspects of complementary feeding has prevented the development of universal indicators to define optimal feeding. Without appropriate measurement tools, the design and evaluation of programs to improve complementary feeding practices cannot move forward. The present paper is the first systematic attempt at filling this gap. It puts forth a framework for the development of indicators of complementary feeding practices and proposes a series of possible indicators to measure some of the most critical aspects of infant and young child feeding. The emphasis is on simple indicators for use in large surveys or in program contexts. Indicators for the following aspects of complementary feeding of 6-23-month-old children are discussed: (1) breastfeeding; (2) energy from complementary foods; (3) nutrient density of complementary foods; and (4) safe preparation and storage of complementary foods. Finally, possible approaches to validate the proposed indicators are discussed and research priorities are highlighted.
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spelling CGSpace1575852025-04-08T18:30:49Z Moving forward with complementary feeding: indicators and research priorities Ruel, Marie T. Brown, Kenneth H. Caulfield, Laura E. child feeding child care evaluation developing countries infant feeding For a number of reasons, progress in improving child feeding practices in the developing world has been remarkably slow. First, complementary feeding practices encompass a number of interrelated behaviors that need to be addressed simultaneously. Child feeding practices are also age-specific within narrow age ranges, which add to the complexity of developing recommendations and measuring responses. Finally, the lack of clear international recommendations for some aspects of complementary feeding has prevented the development of universal indicators to define optimal feeding. Without appropriate measurement tools, the design and evaluation of programs to improve complementary feeding practices cannot move forward. The present paper is the first systematic attempt at filling this gap. It puts forth a framework for the development of indicators of complementary feeding practices and proposes a series of possible indicators to measure some of the most critical aspects of infant and young child feeding. The emphasis is on simple indicators for use in large surveys or in program contexts. Indicators for the following aspects of complementary feeding of 6-23-month-old children are discussed: (1) breastfeeding; (2) energy from complementary foods; (3) nutrient density of complementary foods; and (4) safe preparation and storage of complementary foods. Finally, possible approaches to validate the proposed indicators are discussed and research priorities are highlighted. 2003 2024-10-24T12:50:53Z 2024-10-24T12:50:53Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/157585 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Ruel, Marie T.; Brown, Kenneth H.; Caulfield, Laura E. 2003. Moving forward with complementary feeding: indicators and research priorities. FCND Discussion Paper brief. 146. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/157585
spellingShingle child feeding
child care
evaluation
developing countries
infant feeding
Ruel, Marie T.
Brown, Kenneth H.
Caulfield, Laura E.
Moving forward with complementary feeding: indicators and research priorities
title Moving forward with complementary feeding: indicators and research priorities
title_full Moving forward with complementary feeding: indicators and research priorities
title_fullStr Moving forward with complementary feeding: indicators and research priorities
title_full_unstemmed Moving forward with complementary feeding: indicators and research priorities
title_short Moving forward with complementary feeding: indicators and research priorities
title_sort moving forward with complementary feeding indicators and research priorities
topic child feeding
child care
evaluation
developing countries
infant feeding
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/157585
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