Exclusive breastfeeding: aligning the indicator with the goal

Type Journal Article - Global Health: Science and Practice
Title Exclusive breastfeeding: aligning the indicator with the goal
Author(s)
Volume 2
Issue 3
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2014
Page numbers 355-356
URL http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/2/3/355.full.pdf+html
Abstract
While the global objective is exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for a full 6 months duration, the standard
indicator is a ‘‘prevalence’’ indicator, that is, the percentage of all children under age 6 months who are
exclusively breastfed at a point in time. That yields a higher percentage than a more direct indicator of
duration and can be easily misunderstood, exaggerating the amount of EBF. A measurement of actual
percentage of children exclusively breastfeeding for a full 6 months can be easily calculated from standard DHS and MICS data.

Related studies

»