Chaudhary Shalu R, Govil Samarth, Lala Mrudula K, Yagnik Hardik B
Department of Community Medicine, BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
J Family Community Med. 2018 May-Aug;25(2):88-94. doi: 10.4103/jfcm.JFCM_82_17.
Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices are multidimensional and change rapidly in short intervals in the 1 year of life, asking for simultaneous assessment of various feeding dimensions in children of 6 months and older. Infant and Child Feeding Index (ICFI) is a composite index which measures complete feeding practices for infants and young children. The present study was conducted to assess IYCF practices for children aged 6-36 months in terms of ICFI and some sociodemographic factors and find out the association of ICFI with nutritional status.
A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2015 to October 2015 in Girdharnagar ward of Ahmedabad. Two hundred and ten mother-child pairs were selected by two-staged cluster sampling and were interviewed using a schedule adapted from Knowledge, Practices, and Coverage 2000+ model questionnaire. Appropriate anthropometric measurements were taken and nutritional indicators were calculated. Chi-square test, t- test, and regression analysis were applied wherever required. Epi info version 7.0 and MS Excel 2007 were used for statistical analysis.
Nearly 65.2% of the children were stunted, 43.3% were underweight, and 11.9% were wasted. Only 38.3% of the children were initiated on breastfeeding within 1 h of birth. Only 19.1% of the children were breastfed for 2 years and beyond. Meal frequency was adequate in 64.3% and dietary diversity of >4 food groups was given to only 15.7% of the children. Significant higher proportions of children with low ICFI scores had illiterate mothers, were older, and belonged to lower socioeconomic strata. There was statistically significant association of ICFI with all the three nutritional status indicators. Higher proportion of children with lower ICFI scores had lower weight-for-height Z-scores, weight-for-age Z-scores, and height-for-age Z-scores.
The present study revealed that ICFI can be used to measure IYCF practices in a single composite index, which in turn can reflect the nutritional status of the children.
婴幼儿喂养（IYCF）行为具有多维度特点，在1岁的短时间内变化迅速，因此需要同时评估6个月及以上儿童的各种喂养维度。婴幼儿喂养指数（ICFI）是一个综合指数，用于衡量婴幼儿的完整喂养行为。本研究旨在根据ICFI和一些社会人口学因素评估6至36个月儿童的IYCF行为，并找出ICFI与营养状况之间的关联。
2015年7月至2015年10月在艾哈迈达巴德的吉尔德纳加尔区进行了一项横断面研究。通过两阶段整群抽样选取了210对母婴，并使用根据《2000年及以后的知识、行为和覆盖范围》模型问卷改编的调查表进行访谈。进行了适当的人体测量并计算了营养指标。根据需要应用卡方检验、t检验和回归分析。使用Epi info 7.0版和MS Excel 2007进行统计分析。
近65.2%的儿童发育迟缓，43.3%的儿童体重不足，11.9%的儿童消瘦。只有38.3%的儿童在出生后1小时内开始母乳喂养。只有19.1%的儿童母乳喂养至2岁及以上。64.3%的儿童进餐频率充足，只有15.7%的儿童摄入了超过4种食物组的饮食多样性。ICFI得分低的儿童中，母亲文盲、年龄较大且属于社会经济较低阶层的比例显著更高。ICFI与所有三个营养状况指标之间存在统计学上的显著关联。ICFI得分较低的儿童中，身高别体重Z评分、年龄别体重Z评分和年龄别身高Z评分较低者的比例更高。
本研究表明，ICFI可用于通过单一综合指数衡量IYCF行为，进而反映儿童的营养状况。
