BS IN NUTRITION
(2021)
Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Practices and Nutritional Status of Children, 0-23 Months, In Tallungan, Reina Mercedes, Isabela

Adviser

Anna Teresa O. Orillo, RND, MSc

Stunting is one of the public health concerns in the Philippines. One of the factors that affect nutritional status is infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices during the first 1000 days of children’s lives. Therefore, this study aimed to assess IYCF indicators in relation to the nutritional status of 0-23 months children. A cross sectional survey was conducted covering caregivers (N = 33) of 0-23 months children in Tallungan, Reina Mercedes, Isabela. Data was gathered using WHO questionnaire, three non-consecutive 24-hour food recalls and Cramer’s V was used for the association of nutritional status and IYCF indicators. Overweight (18%), stunting (15%), and wasting (12%) were prevalent in the population. The IYCF with high compliance were: continued breastfeeding at 1 year (62.50%), minimum dietary diversity (MDD) (67.86%), minimum meal frequency (MMF) (82.14%), and consumption of iron-rich foods (63.64 %) while early initiation of breastfeeding (36.36%), exclusive breastfeeding under 6 months (20.00%), introduction of solid or soft foods (50.00%), and minimum acceptable diet (MAD) (46.43%) have low compliance. The mean dietary intake of population was higher than recommended. Among the IYCF indicators, exclusive breastfeeding under 6 months, continued breastfeeding, introduction of solid or soft foods, MAD and consumption of iron-rich foods have strong association with nutritional status. The four indicators with low compliance should be the focus of interventions in the barangay. Lastly, not all IYCF indicators were associated with nutritional status of 0-23 months children. Other aspects like maternal factors may be studied to further understand the associations.

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