This document presents a set of new and updated indicators to assess infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices at household level. It is a follow-up to the 2008 document “Indicators for assessing infant and young child feeding practices – Part I & II”. In total, there are 17 recommended IYCF indicators in the 2021 edition. Seven are new, and four of the 2008 indicators have been excluded from the 2021 list of IYCF indicators. In addition, three indicators of unhealthy food and beverage consumption are included. Unlike in 2008, no distinction is made between core and optional indicators in this set of recommendations. It is important to assess data using the full set of indicators for any given population and to report all findings. This guidance document provides tools for the collection and calculation of the indicators. It is intended for use by managers of large-scale population-based surveys that will collect information on the status of feeding practices among infants and young children less than 2 years of age. Indicators can be assessed through large-scale population-based surveys, including the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS).

The Model Chapter on Infant and Young Child Feeding is intended for use in basic training of health professionals. It describes essential knowledge and basic skills that every health professional who works with mothers and young children should master. The Model Chapter can be used by teachers and students as a complement to textbooks or as a concise reference manual.

To thrive, young children need more than food. It is now widely recognized that they also require a healthy and sanitary environment and adequate care and feeding practices. As governments and NGOs initiate programs to ensure child survival, health, and development, the need for simple methods and indicators to measure the effectiveness of these programs grows. With a strong focus on methodology, this food policy review describes measurement approaches, problems, and solutions and offers practical suggestions for monitoring and evaluating child nutrition programs.

This exciting book, edited by Fiona Dykes and Victoria Hall Moran and with a foreword from Gretel Pelto, explores in an integrated context the varied factors associated with infant and child nutrition, including global feeding strategies, cultural factors, issues influencing breastfeeding, and economic and life cycle influences

WHO and UNICEF jointly developed this global strategy to focus world attention on the impact that feeding practices have on the nutritional status, growth and development, health, and thus the very survival of infants and young children. The strategy is the result of a comprehensive two-year participatory process. It is based on the evidence of nutrition's significance in the early months and years of life, and of the crucial role that appropriate feeding practices play in achieving optimal health outcomes. The strategy is intended as a guide for action; it identifies interventions with a proven positive impact; it emphasizes providing mothers and families the support they need to carry out their crucial roles, and it explicitly defines the obligations and responsibilities in this regards of governments, international organizations, and other concerned parties.

Odisha has shown progress in many indicators but under-nutrition including hidden hunger still stands as a challenge for the State. Undernutrition is a leading contributor to infant, child and maternal mortality and morbidity. Since malnutrition is indirectly responsible for 69% of child deaths in the country, it is extremely crucial to focus on improving maternal and child nutrition for ensuring their survival and development. My heartfelt congratulations to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar for rolling out a Fellowship Course on Public Health Nutrition through RCAPHN in such a record time. Over the years significantly effective strategies and programmes have been formulated and implemented which have started to yield positive results in reducing malnutrition. Therefore, it is important that every stakeholder who is a part of the system and plays an important role in addressing the issues related to health and nutrition must essentially be aware of the key nutrition actions and interventions. All health care providers who interact with mothers and young children should acquire the basic knowledge and skills on infant and young child feeding principles, management of severe acute malnutrition, iodine deficiency disorder, management of iron deficiency and management of vit-A deficiency. I would like to congratulate all the technical members of RCAPHN involved in developing this comprehensive package on nutrition components and themes which will excel the knowledge of public health students. I encourage all to use this handbook as a commendable resource material. The technical modules on nutrition components will help in enhancing the knowledge and skills of public health functionaries and enable them to understand and implement the interventions successfully.