Anemia and malnutrition represent critical public health challenges, with a particularly significant impact on vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women. In 2022, there was an increase in the rate of anemia in children aged 6 to 35 months, which rose from 38.8% to 42.4%, according to data from the Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES). This increase reflects a challenge that requires immediate attention.
The period from the prenatal stage to two years of age is vital in child development, as it is during this time that brain formation and development is largely completed. Therefore, the importance of optimal nutrition during this period is more pronounced than at any other time.
What is responsive feeding and why is it considered a strategy to combat childhood malnutrition and anemia?
Responsive feeding, also known as perceptual feeding, is the style of feeding that involves parents or caregivers recognizing hunger or satiety cues in the child and acting appropriately and in a timely manner in response to them. “It is necessary for all parents and caregivers to know how to apply the method with the goal of preventing anemia and malnutrition in the child,” explains Karen Ramos, head of the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program (SAMIA) at Socios en Salud.
Parents have a responsibility to provide a variety of healthy foods in age-appropriate portions at mealtimes. This approach helps to build confidence and security in children, which in turn has a positive impact on their nutrition (preventing both anemia and malnutrition), and on their development and learning process.
Our community health agents from the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program (SAMIA) make home visits with the purpose of providing nutritional counseling to pregnant women.
Recommendations for promoting responsive feeding in children
Responsive feeding not only promotes a healthy relationship with food, but also strengthens the emotional bond between parents and children during mealtimes. To effectively carry out this practice, which is feasible in different environments and contexts, here are some specific guidelines to keep in mind:
- Comfortable, distraction-free environment: Create a quiet environment for mealtimes and reduce distractions, such as TV or electronic devices, so your child can focus on eating.
- Observe hunger or fullness cues: These cues may include mouth opening, identifying favorite foods or disinterest in eating. Each child is unique, so it is important to learn to recognize your child’s individual cues during mealtime.
- Respond immediately to cues: If the child shows signs of hunger, offer healthy foods. On the other hand, if he or she seems full or uninterested in eating more, don’t force him or her to continue; allow your child to control the amount of food he or she eats.
- Affectionate nature: Maintain a nurturing and affectionate atmosphere during mealtimes; feeding should be a positive and pleasant experience. This will help create favorable associations with food.
What are the benefits of implementing responsive feeding?
This practice carries numerous benefits that influence both children’s nutrition and their emotional well-being and development. Here’s how responsive feeding can be beneficial in several ways:
- Developing healthy habits: Introducing healthy, balanced foods from an early age helps children acquire positive food preferences.
- Reducing the risk of overweight: It prevents children from developing disordered eating habits, such as binge eating. This can help maintain a healthy weight throughout their growth.
- Autonomous Eating Learning: Encourages children’s ability to make decisions about their food within reasonable limits, which teaches them to self-regulate their eating, an essential skill for learning to eat autonomously.
- Forming a healthy relationship with your child: Children learn that their needs are respected and attended to, which strengthens the emotional bond between parents and children and establishes an environment of trust that contributes to their emotional well-being and self-esteem.
At Socios En Salud, we are committed to promoting healthy nutrition in children. Through our Maternal, Infant and Adolescent Health Program (SAMIA), we implement nutritional counseling strategies with the objective of caring for the health of the mother-child binomial in the country’s most vulnerable communities, emphasizing topics such as responsive feeding, the prevention of anemia, adequate weight gain and the promotion of breastfeeding.