Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices and Barriers to Achieving Optimal Nutrition in Indigenous Guatemalan Caregivers
Open Access
- Author:
- Pino, Alexandra
- Area of Honors:
- Biobehavioral Health
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Stephen R Kodish, Thesis Supervisor
Marie P Cross, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Infant and young child feeding practices
Double burden of malnutrition
Indigenous Guatemalans - Abstract:
- Guatemala is currently transitioning to a double burden of malnutrition with stunting and overweight/obesity. Indigenous infants and young children are at higher risk of suffering from malnutrition in Guatemala. Optimizing diets during the first 1,000 days of life is critical to ensure the best health outcomes and long-term benefits. Poor nutrition during this period increases risk of stunted growth and deficits in cognitive functioning that are irreversible. To assess the current breastfeeding and dietary practices of indigenous populations in Guatemala, a mixed methods approach was applied. Semi-structured interviews with caregivers of children <2 years, household meal observations and participatory community workshops were conducted. Reported nutritional behaviors from semi-structured interviews were compared with observed nutritional behaviors during household meal observations. Additionally, barriers to achieving optimal nutrition in indigenous communities were analyzed through community workshops and supplemented with salient findings from semi-structured interviews with caregivers. Data from semi-structured interviews and household meal observations suggested that exclusive breastfeeding practices and continued breastfeeding practices were suboptimal. Additionally, typical infant and young child diets consisted of a variation of soups, tortilla, rice, and beans. Coffee was also a common drink provided to infants and young children. Overall, the data indicates that infant and young child diets were low in diversity and lacking adequate nutrients. Common barriers to achieving optimal nutrition in indigenous communities included a lack of money, lack of employment, lack of land and low food access. To significantly improve nutritional outcomes in indigenous Guatemalan populations, structural barriers need to be addressed to promote accessibility to nutritious foods.