Mapping inequalities in exclusive breastfeeding in low- and middle-income countries, 2000–2018

Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Bhattacharjee, Natalia V.;Schaeffer, Lauren E.;Hay, Simon I.;Local Burden of Disease Exclusive Breastfeeding Collaborators
Richard Franklin
Abstract

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF)—giving infants only breast-milk for the first 6 months of life—is a component of optimal breastfeeding practices effective in preventing child morbidity and mortality. EBF practices are known to vary by population and comparable subnational estimates of prevalence and progress across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are required for planning policy and interventions. Here we present a geospatial analysis of EBF prevalence estimates from 2000 to 2018 across 94 LMICs mapped to policy-relevant administrative units (for example, districts), quantify subnational inequalities and their changes over time, and estimate probabilities of meeting the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target (WHO GNT) of ≥70% EBF prevalence by 2030. While six LMICs are projected to meet the WHO GNT of ≥70% EBF prevalence at a national scale, only three are predicted to meet the target in all their district-level units by 2030.

Journal

Nature Human Behaviour

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5

ISBN/ISSN

2397-3374

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Issue

8

Pages Count

19

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Publisher

Nature Publishing Group

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DOI

10.1038/s41562-021-01108-6