Tracking Progress on Child and Maternal Nutrition - Unicef

Early initiation of breastfeeding
Only 39 per cent of newborns in the developing world
are put to the breast within one hour of birth. The rate is
especially low in Asia, at 31 per cent.
There is growing evidence of the benefi ts to mother and
child of early initiation of breastfeeding, preferably within
the fi rst hour after birth. Early initiation of breastfeeding
contributes to reducing overall neonatal mortality. 25 It
ensures that skin-to-skin contact is made early on, an
important factor in preventing hypothermia and establishing
the bond between mother and child. Early initiation
of breastfeeding also reduces a mother’s risk of post-partum
haemorrhage, one of the leading causes of maternal
mortality. Colostrum, the milk produced by the mother
during the fi rst post-partum days, provides protective
antibodies and essential nutrients, acting as a fi rst immunization
for newborns, strengthening their immune system
and reducing the chances of death in the neonatal period. 26
In a subset of countries with available data, the low
proportions of early initiation of breastfeeding contrast
with substantially higher proportions of infants who are
delivered by a skilled health professional and of infants
whose mothers received antenatal care at least once from
a skilled health professional. This gap constitutes a lost
opportunity and highlights the critical need to improve the
content and quality of counselling by health-care providers.
Early initiation of breastfeeding
Percentage of newborns put to the breast within
one hour of delivery
Africa
Asia*
Developing countries*
* Excludes China due to lack of data.
Source: MICS, DHS and other national surveys, 2003–2008.
26 <strong>Tracking</strong> <strong>Progress</strong> on Child and Maternal Nutrition
31
39
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
47
Complementary feeding
In the developing world, 58 per cent of infants aged
6–9 months old receive complementary foods while continuing
to be breastfed. These data do not refl ect the quality
of the complementary foods received. Meeting minimum
standards of dietary quality is a challenge in many developing-country
settings, especially in areas where household
food security is poor, and it has often not been given
enough emphasis. Children may not receive complementary
foods at the right age (often either too early or too late), are
not fed frequently enough during the day, or the quality of
the food may be inad equate. New programming options are
now available to meet this challenge.
Complementary feeding is the most effective intervention
that can signifi cantly reduce stunting during the fi rst two
years of life. 27 A comprehensive programme approach to
improving complementary feeding includes counselling for
caregivers on feeding and care practices and on the optimal
use of locally available foods, improving access to quality
foods for poor families through social protection schemes
and safety nets, and the provision of micronutrients and
fortifi ed food supplements when needed.
Health-system contacts are not resulting
in early initiation of breastfeeding
Percentage of infants who were put to the breast within
one hour of birth; percentage of births attended by a
skilled health professional; and percentage of pregnant
mothers with at least one antenatal care visit with a skilled
health professional
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
47
50
71
Early initiation of breastfeeding
Skilled attendant at delivery
Antenatal care with a skilled professional
30
Africa Asia Developing
countries
Note: Analysis based on a subset of 74 countries with data on all three indicators
available from the same survey.
Source: MICS, DHS and other national surveys, 2003–2008.
49
73
38
54
75