Fish and meat are often withheld from the diets of infants 6 to 12 months in fish-farming households in rural Bangladesh

Abstract

Fish is a widely available animal-source food in Bangladesh and a rich source of nutrients, yet little is known about practices related to incorporating fish into the diets of infants and young children. Our study makes use of dietary diversity data collected from households participating in a homestead aquaculture project in rural Bangladesh, a population that we hypothesized would have greater than average access to fish. The main objectives of the study were to (1) understand differences between maternal and child consumption of quality food items, especially fish, (2) explore the prevalence of withholding fish from the diets of infants and young children, and (3) examine factors associated with the delayed introduction of fish in the diets of infants and young children and whether this practice differs for small fish versus large fish species.