This article was part of a special supplement in the Food and Nutrition Bulletin on the Alive & Thrive (A&T) project.

This article was part of a special supplement in the Food and Nutrition Bulletin on the Alive & Thrive (A&T) project. Global interest in scaling up nutrition outcomes has focused attention on the need for more effective programs to improve infant and young child feeding (IYCF).

This special supplement in the Food and Nutrition Bulletin focused on the work of Alive & Thrive in designing and implementing large-scale programs to improve infant and young child feeding (IYCF) in Asia and Africa.

The 2013 Lancet series on maternal and child undernutrition highlighted maternal depression as a significant risk factor for poor child growth and recommended interventions to address the problem through maternal and child health and nutrition programs.

Rapid declines in nutritional status occur before the age of two years, particularly during the period of complementary feeding. Improving complementary feeding practices is a neglected area in nutrition programs.