Weaning practices in other parts of the world: case study Russia.

Objectives of the survey: To evaluate infant feeding and weaning practices and anthropometric characteristics of 2-to 24-month-old children in Russia.

Survey method: A comprehensive analysis of data collected from face-to-face interviews of a random Russia representative sample of 2,500 mothers of children. We used a specially designed questionnaire that includes sections on health, especially feeding practices, food intake from the previous day and the measurement of height and weight. The survey was conducted within the framework of 'Start Healthy Stay Healthy' program in Russia, sponsored by Gerber, Nestlé Nutrition.

Results: Incidence of breastfeeding among children of various age was as follows: from 2 to 4 months: 70%, from 4 to 6 months: 60%, from 6 to 9 months: 46%. The most common weaning food was fruit juice (59.4% of children), followed by fruit puree (18%) and cereals (6.4%). 4.4% of respondents used cow's milk as the first weaning food. It was found that examined children were slightly taller (z score for height-forage, 0.11) and heavier (z score for weight-for-age, 0.63) than the WHO standards.

Conclusions: Evaluation of infant/toddler feeding and weaning practice will help to develop guidelines and educational programs to prevent nutrition-related diseases in Russia.