article · Nature Human Behaviour
Exclusive breastfeeding, defined as giving infants only breast milk for the first six months of life, is essential for reducing child morbidity and mortality. Because practices differ across populations, comparable local estimates are vital for designing effective policies. A geospatial analysis tracked exclusive breastfeeding prevalence between 2000 and 2018 across 94 low- and middle-income countries. These estimates were mapped to policy-relevant administrative boundaries, such as districts, to quantify local inequalities and assess progress over time. The analysis also evaluated the likelihood of achieving the World Health Organization Global Nutrition Target of at least 70 percent prevalence by 2030. While six countries are projected to reach this threshold at the national level, only three are predicted to achieve it across all their subnational administrative units.
National averages often hide severe local disparities in infant health. By revealing district-level gaps in exclusive breastfeeding, this evidence enables public health authorities and international organisations to direct vital resources and interventions to the specific communities that lag furthest behind global nutrition goals.
The abstract does not indicate an application pathway, as the research is focused on geospatial public health mapping rather than commercial development.
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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.
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DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01108-6
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