[Study of establishing feeding index for children aged 6-23 months in rural China].

Objective: Infant and child feeding index was used to examine its associations with nutritional status of children aged 6-23 month in rural China.

Methods: Data come from China rural children nutrition surveillance in 2005, age-specific infant and child feeding index (ICFI) is developed based on breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, and the associations between ICFI and weight-for-age (WAZ), length-for-age Z scores (LAZ) were examined.

Results: The mean of ICFI was 8.61 +/- 2.56, ICFI was positively associated with LAZ in 6 - , 9- and 12 -23 month age group (P <0.01), ICFI was positively associated with WAZ in 9 - and 12-23 month age group (P < 0.05). Adjusted potentially confounding influences, ICFI remained positively association with both LAZ and WAZ (P < 0.01). Among the components of ICFI, dietary diversity, meal frequency and complementary feeding in a week were positively associated with LAZ (P < 0.01), breastfeeding, meal frequency and complementary feeding in a week were positively associated with WAZ (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: ICFI could be used to assess effect of feeding practices on child growth in rural China.