Infant and young child feeding practices amongconflict‐affected Ukrainian households: A cross‐sectionalsurvey in Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa regions

Infant and young child feeding practices (IYCF) are crucial for children’s growth anddevelopment but often deteriorate during periods of instability. A cross‐sectionalsurvey conducted in three oblasts of Ukraine—Kyiv City and Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa—enroled 724 children 0–23 months of age from 699 households. Using global WHOIYCF Guidelines, 12 indicators of optimal IYCF practices were evaluated. The studyfound IYCF practices to be relatively stable since 2015, despite the continuedescalation of conflict, with an improvement in exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). EBFwas reported by 51% of mothers, while breastfeeding was initiated early in 65% ofchildren. Complementary feeding practices were optimal for most children, with 79%having a minimum acceptable diet. Infant formula assistance was independentlyassociated with suboptimal breastfeeding practices in multi‐variable models. Children from households that received formula assistance had 67% (adjusted oddsratio [aOR] 0.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.14–0.73) lower odds of beingexclusively breastfed, 65% (aOR 0.35, 95% CI 0.20–0.61) lower odds of continuedbreastfeeding at 12 months, and 3.3 times (95% CI 2.31–4.78) higher odds of beingbottlefed. Baby food assistance did not independently predict a minimum acceptablediet. High levels of optimal complementary feeding sustained since 2015 suggestprotective factors for child nutrition in Ukraine, such as domestic agriculture andsocial safety nets. Additionally, maternal education was consistently linked to betterIYCF outcomes, highlighting the need for targeted support for less‐educatedmothers. The negative association of formula assistance with EBF warrants furtherresearch alongside reinforcement of guidelines to prevent inappropriate formulatargeting.