Influence of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices on Growth and Micronutrient status in children 06–23 months of age: Findings from Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey 2016–2018

The study found that only 24.9% of children met minimum dietary diversity, 44.4% met minimum meal frequency, and 12.3% received a minimum acceptable diet. Among children aged 6-23 months, meeting MDD was significantly associated with reduced odds of stunting (AOR: 0.84; 95% CI 0.72-0.97; p = 0.022) and zinc deficiency (AOR: 0.74; 95% CI 0.56-0.98; p = 0.035), but not with wasting, anemia, or iron deficiency. Meeting MAD was associated with lower odds of stunting (AOR: 0.87; 95% CI 0.74-1.02; p = 0.094) and significantly lower odds of anemia (AOR: 0.67; 95% CI 0.49-0.93; p = 0.017), but not with wasting, iron, or zinc deficiency. Dietary diversity, socioeconomic status, and maternal education emerged as key predictors of child nutrition.