First foods: Diet quality among infants aged 6–23 months in 42 countries. (October 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Choudhury, Samira; Headey, Derek D.; Masters, William A.
• Is Part Of: Food policy. Volume 88(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-10
• Subjects: Child malnutrition -- Child diets -- Dietary diversity -- Bennett's law; Food supply -- Periodicals; Food security -- Periodicals; Food -- Quality -- Periodicals; Food Supply -- Periodicals; Alimentation -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 338.1905
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2019.101762
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-9192

Abstract

Highlights: Nutrient-dense solid foods are needed to complement breastmilk after 6 months. Data from 76, 641 infants reveals which food groups are used at each age. We link intake to parental education, household wealth, climate and infrastructure. Infant feeding follows Bennett's law, also mother's schooling and local conditions. Low diet diversity in early infancy calls for new actions to meet nutrient needs. Abstract: Diet quality is closely linked to child growth and development, especially among infants aged 6–23 months who need to complement breastmilk with the gradual introduction of nutrient-rich solid foods. This paper links Demographic and Health Survey data on infant feeding to household and environmental factors for 76, 641 children in 42 low- and middle-income countries surveyed in 2006–2013, providing novel stylized facts about diets in early childhood. Multivariate regressions examine the associations of household socioeconomic characteristics and community level indicators of climate and infrastructure with dietary diversity scores (DDS). Results show strong support for an infant-feeding version of Bennett's Law, as wealthier households introduce more diverse foods at earlier ages, with additional positive effects of parental education, local infrastructure and more temperate agro-climatic conditions. Associations with consumption of specific nutrient-dense foods are less consistent. Our findings imply that while income growth is indeed an important driver of diversification, there are strong grounds to also invest heavily in women's education and food environments to improve diet quality, while addressing the impacts of climate change on livelihoods and food systems. These results reveal systematic patterns in how first foods vary across developing countries, pointing to new opportunities for research towards nutrition-smart policies to improve children's diets.