Ensuring optimal breastfeeding and improvements in complementary feeding to improve infant and young child nutrition in developing countries

摘要

There is universal acceptance that ensuring optimal infant and young child feeding practices is a critical global health goal if we are to significantly impact and sustainably address infant and young child mortality and malnutrition (PAHO/WHO ; WHO & UNICEF ; Black . ). The extensively quoted 2008 Lancet series on Maternal and Child Undernutrition highlighted the extent of the tragedy, with an estimated 112 million children under 5 years being underweight and a further 178 million suffering from stunting. In total, over one‐third of under‐five mortality is caused by undernutrition, in which poor breastfeeding practices and inadequate complementary feeding play a major role. Poor nutrition at the start of life is documented to retard the economic and social development of individuals and nations (Black . ; Victora . ). The Lancet series clearly points the way forward in the Executive Summary, ‘Although undernutrition and poverty are often intertwined and long‐term solutions to eradicate poverty and undernutrition must be linked, there are proven steps that can be taken now to alleviate the immediate effects of maternal and child undernutrition’ (The Lancet ).