Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Child Poverty Sector, Save the Children Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Matern Child Nutr. 2023 Oct;19(4):e13535. doi: 10.1111/mcn.13535. Epub 2023 May 27.
Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) provides significant health benefits to children. However, mothers may find it difficult to continue EBF for 6 months. The present analysis aimed to examine the influence of the Suchana intervention-a large-scale programme implemented with the aim of improving the health and nutritional status of mothers and children from poor households in the Sylhet region of Bangladesh-on EBF and stunting among children under 6 months. Baseline and endline data were obtained from the Suchana evaluation. EBF was defined as an infant (<6 months) only receiving breast milk in the previous 24 h. Childhood stunting was defined as a length-for-age z-score of less than -2 among children of the same age. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess the associations of the Suchana intervention with EBF and stunting. EBF prevalence improved from 64% at baseline to 85% at the endline in the intervention area, with the intervention group having 2.25 times higher odds of EBF compared to the control group. Stunting prevalence reduced from 28% at baseline to 24% at the endline in the intervention group, but after controlling for covariates, the association between stunting and the intervention was not significant. However, the interaction analysis showed significantly lower stunting prevalence among EBF children in both intervention and control areas. The Suchana intervention had a positive impact on the EBF practice of rural children in a vulnerable region of Bangladesh, and EBF was identified as a significant factor associated with stunting. The findings suggest that the continuation of the EBF intervention has the potential to have an impact on reducing stunting in the region, highlighting the importance of promoting EBF to improve child health and development.
纯母乳喂养（EBF）为儿童提供了显著的健康益处。然而，母亲可能会发现难以持续母乳喂养 6 个月。本分析旨在研究 Suchana 干预措施对 6 个月以下儿童 EBF 和发育迟缓的影响。该干预措施是在孟加拉国锡尔赫特地区实施的一项大型计划，旨在改善贫困家庭母婴的健康和营养状况。使用 Suchana 评估获得了基线和终线数据。EBF 被定义为婴儿（<6 个月）在过去 24 小时内仅接受母乳。儿童发育迟缓定义为同龄儿童的年龄别身长 z 评分小于-2。采用多因素逻辑回归分析评估 Suchana 干预措施与 EBF 和发育迟缓的关系。干预地区的 EBF 普及率从基线时的 64%提高到终线时的 85%，干预组 EBF 的可能性是对照组的 2.25 倍。干预组的发育迟缓率从基线时的 28%降至终线时的 24%，但在控制了协变量后，干预与发育迟缓之间的关联并不显著。然而，交互分析显示，干预组和对照组中 EBF 儿童的发育迟缓率明显较低。Suchana 干预措施对孟加拉国弱势地区农村儿童的 EBF 实践产生了积极影响，EBF 被确定为与发育迟缓相关的重要因素。研究结果表明，继续实施 EBF 干预措施有可能对该地区的发育迟缓产生影响，突出了促进 EBF 以改善儿童健康和发育的重要性。
