Association between women's empowerment and infant and child feeding practices in sub-Saharan Africa: an analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the relationship between women's empowerment and WHO recommended infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in sub-Saharan Africa.


METHODS
Analysis was conducted using data from ten Demographic and Health Surveys between 2010 and 2013. Women's empowerment was assessed by nine standard items covering three dimensions: economic, socio-familial and legal empowerment. Three core IYCF practices examined were minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency and minimum acceptable diet. Separate multivariable logistic regression models were applied for the IYCF practices on dimensional and overall empowerment in each country.


METHODS
Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zimbabwe.


METHODS
Youngest singleton children aged 6-23 months and their mothers (n 15 153).


RESULTS
Less than 35 %, 60 % and 18 % of children 6-23 months of age met the criterion of minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency and minimum acceptable diet, respectively. In general, likelihood of meeting the recommended IYCF criteria was positively associated with the economic dimension of women's empowerment. Socio-familial empowerment was negatively associated with the three feeding criteria, except in Zimbabwe. The legal dimension of empowerment did not show any clear pattern in the associations. Greater overall empowerment of women was consistently and positively associated with multiple IYCF practices in Mali, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. However, consistent negative relationships were found in Benin and Niger. Null or mixed results were observed in the remaining countries.


CONCLUSIONS
The importance of women's empowerment for IYCF practices needs to be discussed by context and by dimension of empowerment.
1Center for Human Nutrition,Department of International Health,Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,615 N. Wolfe Street,W2041,Baltimore,MD 21205,USA.
Muzi
M
Na
2Social and Behavioral Interventions Program,Department of International Health,Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,Baltimore,MD,USA.
Larissa
L
Jennings
1Center for Human Nutrition,Department of International Health,Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,615 N. Wolfe Street,W2041,Baltimore,MD 21205,USA.
Sameera A
SA
Talegawkar
3Department of Population,Family and Reproductive Health,Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,Baltimore,MD,USA.
Saifuddin
S
Ahmed
D000328:Adult; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics; D005248:Feeding Methods / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000191:economics; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009035:Mothers; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D010349:Patient Compliance; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011209:Power, Psychological; D014944:World Health Organization; D055815:Young Adult
Demographic and Health Surveys; Infant and young child feeding practices; Sub-Saharan Africa; Women’s empowerment