A child feeding index is associated with child height‐for‐age in Bolivia and mothers' index scores show improvement following an agriculture‐centered nutrition intervention

Objectives This study aims to 1) determine the association of an infant and child feeding index (ICFI) to mean child height‐for‐age Z‐score (HAZ) and dietary adequacy in a rural region of Bolivia, and to 2) determine the effect of an agriculture‐centered nutrition intervention on infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices using the ICFI. Associations of outcomes to WHO IYCF indicators are also analyzed. Methods Baseline and endline surveys of 331 households with children aged 0–24 months and 390 households with children aged 0–36 months were conducted in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Dietary and feeding practice data were collected using quantitative questionnaires and diet recalls. Mixed model analyses controlling for several individual‐ and household‐level variables were conducted. Results The ICFI is significantly associated with mean child HAZ. The difference in mean HAZ between children of mothers with “good” vs. “poor” practices is 0.49 Z‐scores. The ICFI is also significantly positively associated with dietary adequacy. The WHO indicator “minimum dietary adequacy” is not associated with mean child HAZ. Mothers in intervention communities show significantly improved ICFI scores compared to control mothers over the same one‐year period. Conclusions An ICFI may be an appropriate tool for monitoring and evaluating community‐based programs targeting improvements in IYCF practices. Grant Funding Source : NIH Nutrition Training Grant, The McKnight Foundation