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Estimating the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding with data from household surveys: Measurement issues and options
Authors: Thomas W. Pullum, Karleen Gribble, Seema Mihrshahi and Bindi Borg
Source: Frontiers in Nutrition, 10
Topic(s): Breastfeeding
Data use
Country: Eastern Europe
  Albania
Africa
  Angola
Asia
  Armenia
  Bangladesh
Africa
  Benin
  Cameroon
  Ethiopia
  Gambia
  Guinea
Latin American/Caribbean
  Haiti
Asia
  India
  Jordan
Africa
  Liberia
  Madagascar
  Malawi
Asia
  Maldives
Africa
  Mali
  Mauritania
Asia
  Nepal
Africa
  Nigeria
Asia
  Pakistan
Oceania
  Papua New Guinea
Africa
  Rwanda
  Sierra Leone
  South Africa
Asia
  Tajikistan
Africa
  Tanzania
Asia
  Timor-Leste
Africa
  Uganda
  Zambia
  Zimbabwe
Published: MAR 2023
Abstract: The importance of breastfeeding for infant and maternal health is well established. The World Health Organization recommends that all infants be exclusively breastfed until they reach 6?months of age. The standard indicator to measure adherence to this criterion is the percentage of children aged 0–5?months who are currently being exclusively breastfed. This paper proposes supplementary measures that are easily calculated with existing survey data. First, for an accurate assessment of the WHO recommendation, we estimate the percentage of infants who are being exclusively breastfed at the exact age of 6?months. Second, an adjustment is proposed for prelacteal feeding. These two modifications, separately and in combination, are applied to data from 31 low-and middle-income countries that have participated in the Demographic and Health Surveys Program since 2015. There is considerable variation in the effects across countries. The modifications use existing data to provide a more accurate estimate than the standard indicator of the achievement of the exclusive breastfeeding until 6?months recommendation.
Web: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1058134/full