Complementary feeding in the MENA region: Practices and challenges

Suboptimal feeding patterns during the first two years of life are key determinants of malnutrition in children and constitute an important predictor of health in later years. Early-childhood nutritional factors, stunting, and obesity have been highlighted as prominent core underlying factors of Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) development whereas the improvement of complementary feeding practices has been cited as one of the most effective preventive strategies for reducing malnutrition and adult NCDs. In the MENA region NCD prevalence shows very high rates and the limited available studies show that current practices fall behind global recommendations. Common to all countries of this region are practices of mixed breast and bottle-feeding as early as the first month, as well as the premature introduction of complementary foods. Early introduction of non-milk fluids, such as sweetened water and herbal teas, has been described as a common practice in the region and the premature introduction of complementary foods has been reported in as high as 80% of infants in several of the countries. Thus, enhancing infant/young child health can significantly reduce morbidities and mortalities, as well as adult-onset diseases, ultimately decreasing the region's overall burden of disease.