An infant and child feeding index is associated with child nutritional status in rural China

作者：Zhang, Jingxu; Shi, Ling; Wang, Jing; Wang, Yan^*

来源：Early Human Development, 2009, 85(4): 247-252.

DOI：10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2008.10.009

• Child feeding practices
• Nutrition status
• Child development
• Dietary diversity
• China

Background: Some researchers have developed child feeding indices to summarize child feeding practices so that they can compare child feeding practices across countries and monitor changes over time within a given country. @@@ Aims: An adapted version of the infant and child feeding index (ICFI) developed by Ruel and Menon was used to examine its association with nutritional status of infants living in a rural community in China. @@@ Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 501 children aged 6-11 mo was conducted with their mothers in :3 townships between May 2006 and March 2007. ICFI was developed based on 24-h dietary recall and food frequency information. The associations between ICFI and anthropometric indices including length-for-age (LAZ), weight-for-age (WAZ), and weight-for-length (WLZ) Z-scores were examined separately. General linear regression models were used to adjust for potential confounders including the children's, parents' and households' sociodemographic characteristics. @@@ Results: The ICFI was associated with both WAZ (adjusted WAZ means: 0.39, 0.47, and 0.54 for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd tercile, respectively, P < 0.05) and WLZ (adjusted WLZ means: 0.47, 0.74, and 0.79 for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd tercile, respectively, P < 0.05). But it was not associated with children's LAZ. Among the components of ICFI, dietary diversity, meal frequency and bottlefeeding were positively associated with the children's anthropometric indices. @@@ Conclusions: ICFI and its components could be used to assess effect of complementary feeding practices on child growth.

• 出版日期2009-4
• 单位北京大学