Infant and young child feeding case study: Bangladesh
This case study is one of six in a review of the contributions of UNICEF and its partners to infant and young child feeding (IYCF). The Bangladesh case study involved a review of relevant documents, a field visit in August 2008 to Dhaka and interviews with 28 key informants, and analysis of the information.
Bangladesh has a strong breastfeeding culture. Almost all children are breastfed and continue to be breastfed until they are at least 2 years old. However, sub-optimal practices such as delayed initiation of breastfeeding, prelacteal feeding, non-exclusive breastfeeding, and bottle feeding are common. Exclusive breastfeeding rates showed little change from 1994 to 2007, ranging between 42 and 46 percent. During this time, some feeding practices improved. Initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth increased from 9 to 24 percent and timely feeding of complementary foods to infants 6-9 months rose dramatically, from 28 to 74 percent. High rates of stunting and low birthweight persisted.
The review reports on various initiatives over the years to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding, beginning with the adoption of an ordinance regulating breastmilk substitutes in 1984 to the adoption of the National Strategy for IYCF in 2007. Accomplishments over the years include ongoing advocacy by respected IYCF technical experts, a foundation devoted to breastfeeding, government adoption of supportive policies including maternity protection legislation and 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding, a sizable cadre of IYCF trainers, thousands of health providers trained in lactation management, a high percentage of baby-friendly hospitals, large-scale community-based nutrition activities, culturally appropriate training curricula and IEC materials, and qualitative and quantitative data on breastfeeding to inform programming.
To read the full case study, click on the attached report.
