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Scoping Existing Guidelines for Feeding Recommendations for Infants and Young Children Under Age 2

Completed

A wide variety of organizations, agencies, and groups provide guidance on how and what to feed infants and young chidren. The extent to which that guidance is aligned and is based on scientific evidence is not well characterized. This consensus study will assess existing guidelines for the consistency, quality, and span of information provided in feeding recommendations for infants and young children under 2 years of age.

Description

An ad hoc committee under the auspices of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will be convened to review and assess publicly available guidance on feeding practices for infants and children up to 2 years of age. The committee will:

  • Identify and collect public-facing documents and resources about "what to feed" and "how to feed" infants and children from birth up to two years of age. The scope of resources will include domestic sources, e.g. guidance from federal agencies in the U.S. and Canada; authoritative organizations, e.g. the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; and international sources, including, but not limited to the World Health Organization;
  • Compile a comprehensive list of the topics addressed in the documents collected, along with the type of evidence cited in support of each topic;
  • Note the basis for the recommended feeding practices by each source, describe the level of agreement between sources, and assess differences between the guidance documents; and
  • Assess the documents for descriptions of "best practices" as well as for implementation strategies to support communication and dissemination of feeding guidance.

The committee will produce a report that includes a comparison of the guidance documents reviewed with documentation of the type and strength of evidence underpinning each guideline. The report will inform stakeholders about the feasibility of consolidating feeding guidelines and/or harmonizing guidance across sources of advice for 'what' and 'how' to feed infants and children up to two years or age, and will make recommendations about communication strategies to the stakeholder community.

Collaborators

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Committee Membership Roster Comments

The committee composition changed as of November 22, 2019. Dr. Stephanie Atkinson was added to the committee.

Sponsors

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Internal Funding

National Institutes of Health

Staff

Meghan Harrison

Lead

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