title: Association between infant- and child-feeding index and nutritional status: results from a cross-sectional study among children attending an urban hospital in Bangladesh.
abstract: Integration of infant- and child-feeding index (ICFI) addressing the multidimensional child-feeding practices into one age-specific summary index is gaining importance. This cross-sectional study was aimed at understanding the association between the ICFI and the nutritional status of 259 children, aged 6-23 months, who attended the paediatric outpatient department of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital in Bangladesh. The mean length-for-age z-score (LAZ) of children aged 12-23 months was significantly (p < 0.05) higher among those who were at the upper ICFI tercile compared to those who were at the middle or lower ICFI tercile (-2.01 and -3.20 respectively). A significant correlation was found between the ICFI and the LAZ (r = 0.24, p = 0.01 and r = 0.29, p = 0.01) in children aged 6-8-months and 12-23-months. Multivariable analysis, after adjusting for potential confounders, also found a significant association between the ICFI and the LAZ (beta = 0.13, p = 0.03). The predictive capability of the proposed ICFI on nutritional status of children, especially length-for-age, needs to be further evaluated prospectively among healthy children in the community.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh. tahmina.khatoon@gmail.com
authors.forename: Tahmina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Khatoon
authors.forename: Md Abid Hossain
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mollah
authors.forename: Ahmed Murtaza
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Choudhury
authors.forename: M Munirul
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.forename: Kazi Mizanur
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Rahman
mesh_terms: D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D001903:Bottle Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005248:Feeding Methods / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food / Q000009:adverse effects; D007228:Infant Nutrition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital