The Philippines’ snapshot situation of pregnancy-related and child feeding practices during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: Maternal, infant and young child health and nutrition are affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim: This study aimed to present the snapshot situation of maternal health practices of pregnant women including infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices of children under two during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A rapid nutrition assessment survey (RNAS) was conducted through phone interview in nine selected areas from November 3 to December 3, 2020. A multi-stage sampling design was employed in the selection of areas with low, medium, and high risk categories across the islands of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in the Philippines. A total of 792 mother-child pairs, and 148 pregnant women were covered. Results: Majority (84.5%) of pregnant women availed pre-natal check-ups, 82.4% of them had micronutrient supplements, of which 20.5% took IFA tablets. Almost 60.0% of children under two were currently breastfed during the pandemic, with 60.8% of infants less than 6 months receiving breastmilk exclusively. Appropriate complementary feeding practices based on this study were not drastically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, access to pregnancy-related information, along with breastfeeding and complementary feeding messages and advice were disrupted during the community lockdown. Conclusion: Although maternal and child feeding practices were unchanged, innovative delivery of community health and nutrition services such as tele-visits by midwives, and community health workers are some of the ways to move forward in improving the health and nutrition of women and children in the wake of the pandemic and during subsequent waves.