Nutrients
Complementary Feeding Practices and Nutritional Status Among Pakistani Children Aged 6-23 Months: A Pooled Analysis of Nationally Representative Surveys
By Rizvi A, Bhutta A, Sajid M and 2 others.
Abstract
Background
Milk feeding practices are a critical determinant of nutritional status in infancy, yet the relationship between specific milk feeding combinations and undernutrition remains poorly characterized in Pakistan, where animal milk use is widespread and the malnutrition burden is among the highest in South Asia.
Methods
We pooled data on 96,736 children aged 6-23 months with valid anthropometry from 13 nationally and provincially representative cross-sectional surveys (2010-2020). Analyses were restricted to Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Seven mutually exclusive feeding combinations were defined from 24 h dietary recall. Survey-weighted, age-stratified logistic regression (6-11 and 12-23 months) examined associations with stunting and wasting, adjusting progressively for area, household and child-level factors, with breastfeeding plus complementary feeding as the reference. Micronutrient deficiency data from NNS 2011 and NNS 2018 were analyzed descriptively.