TY - RPRT AU - Yourkavitch, Jennifer CY - Rockville, Maryland, USA TI - Trends and inequalities in young child nutrition in Rwanda T2 - DHS Further Analysis Reports No. 109 PB - ICF PY - 2018 UR - http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FA109/FA109.pdf AB - This report documents trends in key child nutrition indicators in Rwanda. Data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in 2005, 2010, and 2014-15 were analyzed, disaggregated by selected equity-related variables, and tested for trends. Over the survey period, Rwanda had high rates of exclusive breastfeeding, with regional variation. Rates of continued breastfeeding were also high but generally decreased as mother’s education and household wealth increased in all survey years. Complementary feeding practices varied by region, mother’s education, household wealth, urban-rural residence, and sex of the child. Generally, consumption of vitamin A-rich foods was high but consumption of iron-rich foods was low, with differences by household wealth. Consumption of iron-rich foods also varied by region, urban-rural residence, and mother’s education. There were substantial differences in the prevalence of stunting by urban-rural residence, region, and household wealth, and between boys and girls. These findings suggest that strategies are warranted to increase the prevalence of optimal breastfeeding in urban areas and among the wealthier and more educated. Urgent efforts to improve appropriate complementary feeding practices are needed, and these practices should be monitored by socioeconomic characteristics, residential status, and region in order to focus on groups and areas most in need. Strategies to improve complementary feeding practices among rural residents, poor households, and mothers with less education should be tested, along with specific regional strategies. N1 - For assistance using downloaded citations from The DHS Program, please visit http://dhsprogram.com/publications/Citing-DHS-Publications.cfm. This report presents findings from a further analysis undertaken as part of the follow-up to the 2014-15 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS). ICF provided technical assistance for the project. This report is a publication of The DHS Program, which is designed to collect, analyze, and disseminate data on fertility, family planning, maternal and child health, nutrition, and HIV/AIDS. Funding was provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through the DHS Program (#AID-OAA-C-13-00095). The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID and other cooperating agencies. ER -