title: Micronutrient powder use and infant and young child feeding practices in an integrated program.
abstract: Integrated infant and young child feeding (IYCF)/micronutrient powder (MNP) programs are increasingly used to address poor IYCF practices and micronutrient deficiencies in low-income settings; however, little is known about how MNP use may affect IYCF practices. We describe how MNP use was associated with IYCF practices in a pilot program in select districts of Nepal where free MNP for children 6-23 months were added to an existing IYCF platform. Representative cross-sectional surveys were conducted in pilot districts with mothers of eligible children at 3 months (plains ecozone, n=1054) or 15 months (hill ecozone, rural only, n=654) after implementation of an integrated MNP/IYCF program. We used logistic regression to assess how IYCF practices varied by MNP use (none, 1-30, 30-60 sachets). At both time points, consuming 30-60 MNP sachets vs. none was associated with achieving minimum dietary diversity and minimum acceptable diet. In the 3 month survey consuming 30- 60 MNP sachets vs none was also associated with achieving minimum meal frequency and continued breastfeeding at 2 years. In this setting, addition of MNP to an existing platform of IYCF messaging did not appear detrimental to IYCF practices.
authors.affiliation: Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA.|Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Kelsey R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Mirkovic
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Cria G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Perrine
authors.affiliation: Child Health Division, Ministry of Health and Population, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: Giri Raj
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Subedi
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Section, UNICEF, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: Saba
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mebrahtu
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Section, UNICEF, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: Pradiumna
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dahal
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA. Email: mjefferds@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Maria Elena D
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Jefferds
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008297:Male; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009390:Nepal; D009749:Nutrition Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011203:Poverty
chemical_list: D018977:Micronutrients