BackgroundAppropriate infant and young child nutrition is critical for proper growth and development. In order to promote optimal nutrition at an early age, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have developed the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) to address poor breastfeeding practices in maternity wards. However, impact is limited in less developed countries like Kenya, where more than half of all births are home deliveries. Therefore, Kenya has explored the adoption of Baby Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI) in its rural settings. In contrast to the BFHI, the BFCI supports breastfeeding and optimal infant feeding in community. BFCI has been implemented in Koibatek, in rural Kenya. This study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of BFCI on complementary feeding practices of children aged 6–23 months, by comparing intervention and control groups.MethodsThis was a randomized control study design that included 270 mother-infant pairs enrolled in the Baby Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI) project in Koibatek. Evaluation was carried out using structured questionnaires.ResultsA statistically significantly higher proportion of children in the intervention group compared to the control group attained minimum dietary diversity (77% vs. 58%; p = 0.001), minimum meal frequency (96% vs. 89%; p = 0.046) and minimum acceptable diet (77% vs. 61%; p = 0.005). The odds of attaining minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency and minimum acceptable diet were statistically significantly higher for the intervention group compared to control group (OR: 4.95; 95%CI 2.44–10.03, p = < 0.001; OR: 14.84; 95%CI 2.75–79.9, p = 0.002; OR: 4.61; 95%CI 2.17–9.78, p = < 0.001 respectively).ConclusionThe BFCI intervention was successful in improving complementary feeding practices. Strengthening and prioritizing BFCI interventions could have a significant impact on child health outcomes in rural Kenya.Trial registrationISRCTN03467700. Registration 24 September 2014. Retrospectively registered.

The Kenyan Ministry of Health has developed a National Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding with the goal of improving feeding practices for infants and children. In order to promote appropriate infant feeding, the government has explored implementation of the Baby Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI). This study assessed maternal knowledge of attributes of complementary feeding following implementation of BFCI in Koibatek, Kenya. A randomized control study composed of 270 mother–infant pairs previously enrolled in a BFCI programme in Koibatek was conducted. The study found that a significantly greater number of mothers in the intervention group were more knowledgeable about proper breastfeeding and complementary feeding aspects compared with controls (P ≤ 0.001). About half (53%) of mothers in the intervention group had high knowledge scores in comparison with 20% of mothers in the control group. When the relationship between mothers' knowledge and complementary feeding practices (minimum meal frequency, minimum dietary diversity and minimum acceptable diet) was assessed, significant associations were observed (P = 0.010, P ≤ 0.001 and P ≤ 0.001, respectively). The odds of having a high knowledge score regarding complementary feeding practices were significantly higher for the intervention group compared with the control group (odds ratio [OR]: 25.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 13.62–49.55, P ≤ 0.001). The BFCI intervention effectively improved mothers' knowledge on complementary feeding and correlated with improved feeding practices.

Vulnerability to indoor pollution depends on the individual’s nutritional status as well as the nature and duration of exposure. The aim of this study was to assess Body Mass Index (BMI) and dietary diversity among kitchen workers in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania. A total of 360 randomly selected kitchen workers from hotels, institutions, fast food restaurants and street food vendors were studied in a cross-sectional study and their weight and height were measured using standard methods. BMI was calculated and categorized using World Health Organization criteria. Information on sociodemographic, respiratory symptom and type of fuel used was collected using a pretested questionnaire. Dietary diversity was assessed using FAO/FANTA guideline. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20 and Microsoft excel version 10. Results indicate that, there were more female kitchen workers (65.3%) who were relatively younger with mean age of (28 ± 7.6) years compared to (32.6±7.4) years for males. About half of the kitchen workers were overweight (48%) or obese (14.7%). Males were more overweight (52%) and obese (21.6%) compared to 46% and 11% for females respectively. Prevalence of obesity was significantly higher among hotel workers (25%) compared to workers of other institutions, fast food restaurants, households and food vendors; however; there was no significant difference in BMI status with respect to type of fuel used and respiratory symptoms. About 68% consumed more than 4 food groups in a day preceding the survey. The most commonly consumed groups were cereals, fats/oils, and sugars. Vegetable consumption was also high reported by 75% of the respondents. Eggs, milk and fruits were the least consumed food groups reported by 3.2%, 13.5% and 38.1% of the respondents respectively. Overweight and obesity were common among kitchen workers, surprisingly more common among males than females. Other exposure variables were not associated with overweight and obesity. More research is needed to support the present results especially on kind of particulate matter that are produced from kitchen fumes.

In 2015, the WHO released new guidelines to reduce mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. The recommendations, known as Option B+, included initiation of lifelong highly active antiretroviral therapy regardless of CD4 count for all HIV-positive pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. For infants, exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and antiviral therapy were sanctioned. Targets of <5% transmission in breastfeeding populations and <2% in non-breastfeeding populations were set. This review evaluated the impact of Option B+ on MTCT in African countries. Methods: Using the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search of PubMed and Google Scholar databases was conducted to identify relevant studies published between 2015 and 2021. All studies meeting inclusion criteria were evaluated. Results: Of the 687 references screened, 22 studies from 11 countries (Cameroon,