Feeding Colostrum
Indicator Phrasing
English: % of children aged 0-23 months who were fed colostrum after birth
French: % d'enfants âgés de 0 à 23 mois qui ont reçu du colostrum après la naissance
Portuguese: % de crianças com idades entre 0 a 23 meses alimentadas com colostro após o nascimento
Czech: % dětí ve věku 0-23 měsíců, které byly po porodu krmeny kolostrem
What is its purpose?
For approximately three days after delivery, the breasts secrete colostrum. Colostrum has the largest concentration of nutrients and antibodies to protect the newborn, however in many cultures, colostrum is not considered beneficial or appropriate and is thrown away. The indicator therefore assesses the proportion of young children who were fed colostrum after birth.
How to Collect and Analyse the Required Data
Collect the following data by conducting individual interviews with mothers of (a representative sample of) children aged 0-23.99 months:
RECOMMENDED SURVEY QUESTION (Q) AND POSSIBLE ANSWERS (A)
Q1: After your youngest baby was born, did you give the baby the first liquid (colostrum) that came from your breast?
A1: yes / no / does not remember
To calculate the indicator’s value, divide the number of children who were fed with colostrum by the total number of respondents (exclude those who did not remember). Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.
Disaggregate by
Disaggregate the data by the delivery place (home, health centre, hospital), presence of a skilled birth attendant during delivery (present/ absent; use for home deliveries only), location (rural/ urban) and socio-economic characteristics (e.g. level of education).