Reconsidering, refining, and extending the World Health Organization Infant and Young Child Feeding Indicators

The global Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Indicators were published in 2008 and related operational guide was introduced in 2010. In the years since their introduction, IYCF indicators have been used to understand trends and monitor progress in IYCF practices.

After nearly a decade of using the IYCF indicators, it was essential to understand the issues related to their use and operationalization, and if there is a need for modification. Additionally, the World Health Assembly (WHA) has adopted the minimum acceptable diet (MAD), one of the WHO IYCF indicators, as a part of the Global Nutrition Monitoring Framework for measuring nutrition progress.

A technical consultation was convened as a part of the workplan of the WHO-UNICEF Technical Expert Advisory group on nutrition Monitoring (TEAM) to discuss the current IYCF indicators. The consultation reviewed current issues and challenges and proposed potential modifications.

The report summarizes the discussions related to the modification of IYCF indicators for minimum diet diversity (MDD), minimum meal frequency (MMF), and MAD.