Iron-rich foods consumption and its associated factors among children aged 6–23 months in South and Southeast Asia: a multilevel analysis of demographic and health surveys

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed iron-rich food consumption and its associated factors among children aged 6-23 months in South and Southeast Asia. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study from the Standard Demographic and Health Survey (2015-2022). SETTING: South and Southeast Asian countries. PARTICIPANTS: Data collected from 95 515 children aged 6-23 months, including information from their parents or caregivers. RESULTS: The overall proportion of children, aged 6-23 months, consuming iron-rich foods in the region was 29·87 % (95 % CI: 29·58, 30·16). Higher odds of iron-rich food consumption were observed among children aged 12-23 months (adjusted OR (AOR) = 3·59; 95 % CI: 3·45, 3·76), had history of exclusive breast-feeding (AOR = 1·17; 95 % CI: 1·12, 1·23), born to teenage motherhood (AOR = 1·09; 95 % CI: 1·02, 1·17), born in health institution (AOR = 1·10; 95 % CI: 1·02, 1·19) and had pregnant mother at the time of the survey (AOR = 1·60; 95 % CI: 1·50, 1·72). Children of birth order 2-4 (AOR = 1·26; 95 % CI: 1·20, 1·32) and 5+ (AOR = 1·29; 95 % CI: 1·18, 1·43), from female-headed households (AOR = 1·06; 95 % CI: 1·01, 1·12) and those with household mass media exposure (AOR = 1·27; 95 % CI: 1·19, 1·36) also had significantly higher odds of iron-rich food consumption. Additionally, higher odds ratio (OR) (AOR > 1) of iron-rich food consumption were observed in Cambodia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Maldives, Philippines, Pakistan and Timor-Leste. CONCLUSION: Across countries, only about 30 % of children consumed iron-rich foods, with significant variation. Targeted public health efforts are essential to address maternal, child and household factors that influence intake.