How is parental education associated with infant and young child feeding in Bangladesh? a systematic literature review

Plabon Sarkar, Progati Bakshi, Imdadul Haque Talukdar, Sarah M. L. Pechtl, Tobias Lindström Battle, Sanjib Saha

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background
Education is expected to bring about positive behavioral changes which could lead to improved health behaviors. Parental education is a primary determinant of child health and development. However, some evidence showed inverse associations between high parental education and recommended infant and young child feeding (IYCF) in Bangladesh. How the association of parental education differs with specific IYCF components has not been reviewed. Therefore, the role of parental education on optimal IYCF practices in Bangladesh appears to be inconclusive. The objective of this review is to summarize how parental education is associated with IYCF practices in Bangladesh.

Method
This review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar. Record searching, study selection, and data extraction was performed using Endnote online and Covidence tool, respectively. The Newcastle–Ottawa scale was used for quality assessment of the included studies.

Results
Out of 414 initial hits, 34 studies were included for this review. Of the included studies, 32 were cross-sectional, one was a randomized controlled trial, and one was a retrospective cohort. Most of the studies (n = 24) were nationally representative whereas 10 studies had populations from district and sub-district level. Included studies considered different IYCF-related indicators, including breastfeeding (n = 22), complementary feeding (n = 8), both breastfeeding and complementary feeding (n = 2), both breastfeeding and bottle feeding (n = 1), and pre-lacteal feeding (n = 1). Parental education was found to be positively associated with complementary feeding practices. However, the role of parental education on breastfeeding, in general, was ambiguous. High parental education was associated with bottle-feeding practices and no initiation of colostrum.

Conclusion
Public health interventions need to focus not only on non- and/or low-educated parents regarding complementary feeding but also on educated mothers for initiation of colostrum and proper breastfeeding practices.
Original languageEnglish
Article number510
Pages (from-to)1-35
JournalBMC Public Health
Volume23
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023 Mar 17

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Health Sciences

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