SCN News No 36 - UNSCN

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PROGRAMME NEWS
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reproductive, newborn and child health, and strengthening use of data to guide implementation;
• Address inequities in coverage of care among different geographic, socioeconomic, age and gender groups;
• Hold governments, financing institutions and international organizations accountable for making adequate resources
available to achieve MDGs 4 and 5, and other health-related MDGs;
• Ensure predictable, long-term financing for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health which reflects countries'
priorities and plans."
Read the full statement in English (Statement of commitment) or in French (Déclaration d'engagement)
Contact: The secretariat: Countdown to 2015 c/o The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health EMail: secretariat@countdown2015mnch.org,
Website: www.countdown2015mnch.org
WHO
Revised indicators for assessing Infant and Young Child Feeding practices
The revised IYCF indicators are the product of a multi-agency collaboration, including WHO, IFPRI, UC Davis, USAID,
FANTA and UNICEF. They were developed in response to a recommendation for new and improved indicators for
assessing feeding in children 6-23 months of age, made by participants in the WHO consultation on complementary
feeding, 2001 (1). The indicators are based on feeding recommendations presented in two documents: the Guiding
Principles for complementary feeding of the breastfed child and the Guiding Principles for feeding non-breastfed children
6-24 months of age (2,3). The indicators are a result of analyses of ten data sets, representing breastfed and nonbreastfed
children in various countries and regions. The main research questions were:
• How well can indicators of dietary diversity or sentinel food groups predict dietary quality for infants and young
children in different populations with varying dietary patterns?
• How well does the frequency of feeding of foods and nutritive liquids other than breast milk predict energy intake -
from foods alone or total - in different populations with varying dietary patterns?
The conclusions of this work are reported in two documents available on the FANTA website (4,5). In addition to
identifying new indicators for assessing infant and young child feeding, working group members also reviewed and
updated existing indicators for assessing breastfeeding practices. Consensus on the indicators was reached in a
meeting held at the WHO Regional Office for the Americas, 6-8 November 2007. New and revised recommended
indicators for assessing IYCF practices are:
Recommended core indicators
1. Early initiation of breastfeeding: proportion of children born in the last 24 months who were put to the breast within one hour
of birth
2. Exclusive breastfeeding under 6 months: proportion of children 0 – 5 months of age who are fed exclusively with breastmilk
3. Continued breastfeeding at 1 year: Proportion of children 12 – 15 months of age who are fed breastmilk
4. Introduction of solid, semi-solid or soft foods: Proportion of children 6-8 months of age who receive solid, semi-solid or soft foods
5. Minimum dietary diversity: Proportion of children 6-23 months of age who receive foods from 4 or more food groups
6. Minimum meal frequency: Proportion of breastfed and non-breastfed children 6-23 months of age who receive solid, semisolid,
or soft foods (but also milk feeds for non-breastfed children) the minimum number of times or more
• 2 times for breastfed infants 6-8 months
• 3 times for breastfed infants 9-23 months
• 4 times for non-breastfed children 6-23 months
7. Minimum acceptable diet: Proportion of children 6-23 months of age who receive a minimum acceptable diet (apart from
breastmilk)
• Breastfed children who had at least minimum dietary diversity and minimum meal frequency
• Non-breastfed children who received at least 2 milk feedings and had minimum dietary diversity and minimum meal
frequency
8. Consumption of iron-rich or iron-fortified foods: Proportion of children 6-23 months of age who receive an iron-rich food or
an iron fortified food that is specially designed for infants and young children, or that is fortified at home
Recommended optional indicators
1. Children ever breastfed
2. Continued breastfeeding at 2 years
3. Age-appropriate breastfeeding
4. Predominant breastfeeding under 6 months
5. Duration of breastfeeding
6. Bottle feeding
7. Milk feeding for non-breastfed children
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