A survey of infant and young child nutrition service capacity in maternal and child health institutions across 16 provinces (municipalities) in China in 2022

ObjectiveTo investigate and analyze the current status and problems of infant and young child nutrition services in maternal and child health institutions in China. MethodsIn 2022, a purposive sampling method was used to select 56 maternal and child health institutions from 16 provinces (municipalities) in China. An online questionnaire survey was conducted to collect information on the implementation of three types of infant and young child nutrition services (feeding guidance, physical growth assessment, and micronutrient deficiency risk screening), reasons for not providing these services, the number of four types of nutrition service personnel (clinical practitioners, public health practitioners, nurses, and technicians), and the availability of two types of nutrition service tools (dietary assessment and anthropometric measurement). ResultsAmong the surveyed institutions, provincial, city, and county (district) level institutions accounted for 14.29% (8/56), 39.29% (22/56), and 46.42% (26/56), respectively. The overall implementation rates of feeding guidance and physical growth assessment were both 100.00%, while the overall implementation rate of micronutrient deficiency risk screening was 69.64% (39/56). The implementation rates of each service item for feeding guidance (breastfeeding, complementary feeding, healthy diet, nutrient supplementation, and responsive feeding) and physical growth assessment (age-specific weight, age-specific length/height, age-specific head circumference, length/height-specific weight, and age-specific BMI) were all above 90.00%. The implementation rates of risk screening for iron, vitamin D, and vitamin A deficiency were 69.64% (39/56), 66.07% (37/56), and 55.36% (31/56), respectively. The main reasons for not implementing these services were insufficient technical skills of service personnel (9 institutions), lack of charging standards (8 institutions), and lack of equipment (8 institutions). Nutrition service personnel were mainly clinical practitioners (pediatrics) and nurses, accounting for 45.76% (329/719) and 27.54% (198/719), respectively. The availability rate of dietary assessment tools ranged from 57.14% to 83.93%, and the availability rates of anthropometric measurement tools were all above 90.00%. ConclusionsCurrently, the content of infant and young child nutrition services in maternal and child health institutions in China is not yet comprehensive, the capacity for micronutrient deficiency risk screening is weak, and professional training of nutrition service personnel and the provision of service tools need to be strengthened.