Exclusive breastfeeding under six months (EBF)

Indicator Name

% of infants 0–5 months of age who were fed exclusively with breast milk during the first 6 months of life

Indicator ID in PRIME

IN00040830

Definition

Definition

This indicator measures the percentage of infants 0–5 months of age who were fed exclusively with breast milk during the previous day.

Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as breastfeeding with no other food or drink, not even water. Breastfeeding by a wet nurse, feeding of expressed breast milk, and feeding of donor human milk all count as being fed breast milk. Prescribed medicines, oral rehydration solution, vitamins and minerals are not counted as fluids or foods. However, herbal fluids and similar traditional medicines are counted as fluids, and infants who consume these are not exclusively breastfed.

Numerator

Infants 0–5 months of age who were fed exclusively with breast milk during the previous day.

Denominator

Infants 0–5 months of age.

Recommended Means of Verification

The questionnaire of Indicators for Assessing Infant and Young Children Feeding Practices (IYCF WHO/UNICEF 2021) is used to collect the relevant data by conducting individual interviews with mothers of (a representative sample of) children aged 0 - 5 months.

Answers to questions 6 and 7 about liquids and foods, respectively, that the child consumed yesterday in the daytime or at night (6A-6J and 7A-7R) should all be "no" for infants to be included in the numerator, and question 4 (“Was [NAME] breastfed yesterday during the day or at night?”) should be “yes”.

Indicator Attributes

Indicator Prioritisation

Global Indicator

Level of Indicator

Outcome

Indicator Context Type

Quantitative

Theme

Health & Nutrition

Sub Theme

Child Sensitive Social Protection, Mother Infant Child Nutrition

Common Approach

Nourishing the Youngest (Infant and Young Child Feeding), Resourcing Families for Better Nutrition

Total Reach Indicator

No

Context

Development

Measurement Guidance 

Frequency of Data Collection

Annually

Unit of Measure

Individual

Data Format

Percent

Direction of Desired Change

Increasing

Number of Decimal Points

Zero

Indicator is Rounding

No

Nature

Cumulative

Recommended Disaggregations

Gender

Tools

Kobo Form Questions

Question 4, Questions 6A-6Jswt, Questions 7A-7R

Other Survey Tool

Additional Guidance

Indicators for Assessing Infant and Young Children Feeding Practices (WHO/UNICEF 2021): https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240018389

This guidance was prepared by Sheetal Rahi Lookhar ©

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