Associations between infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practice and attitudes toward intimate partner violence (IPV) in Timor-Leste

BACKGROUND: Both the proportions of malnutrition among children and women’s justifying partner’s intimate partner violence (IPV) are high in Timor-Leste. However, no study has looked at the associations between acceptable infant and young child feeding (IYCF) and women’s attitudes toward IPV, as a women’s empowerment index. In light of the lack of evidence described above, the study objective was to examine associations between IYCF practice and attitudes toward IPV in Timor-Leste and other women’s characteristics. METHODS: A secondary analysis of children’s records from the Demographic and Health Survey Timor-Leste 2016 was conducted using a cross-sectional design. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to investigate associations between acceptable IYCF and women’s agreement that men are justified in beating their wives for five specific reasons and socio-economic factors. RESULTS: The day before the survey, 33.4% of mothers gave their child at least the minimum dietary diversity and 46.4% at least the minimum meal frequency; and 15.0% practiced acceptable IYCF. Among all respondents, 17.5% did not agree that all five specific reasons for beating are justified. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of acceptable IYCF for mothers who did not agree was 1.51 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09–2.09) compared to those who agreed. The aOR of acceptable IYCF for mothers who worked outside the home was 1.48 (95% CI 1.16–1.96) compared to those who did not. Compared to mothers in the poorest quintile, the aORs of acceptable IYCF among those in the poorer, middle, richer, and richest quintiles were 1.33 (95% CI 0.83–2.21), 1.90 (95% CI 1.15–3.14), 2.01 (95% CI 1.17–3,45), and 2.99 (95% CI 1.63–5.50) respectively. Compared to children aged 6–11 months, the aORs of acceptable IYCF for children aged 12–17 months and 18–23 months were 2.14 (95% CI 1.54–2.97) and 1.63 (95% CI 1.14–2.34), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Acceptable IYCF was associated with mothers’ attitudes toward wife-beating, wealth quintile, and mother’s work. Factors that we found associated with IYCF were all related to women’s empowerment. It implies that women’s empowerment is a key to improving mothers’ childcare. Merely promoting a specific childcare practice may not be enough for better child health.