The publications in this three-part series represent the culmination of a  multi-year effort led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop and reach consensus on a set of simple, valid, and reliable indicators. They describe and provide guidance for collection of eight core and seven optional infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators that can be assessed in population-based surveys, including Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS); Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys; and Knowledge, Practice, and Coverage Surveys. 

Part 1 presents indicators to assess IYCF practices at the household level. It is a follow-up to WHO’s 1991 Indicators for Assessing Breastfeeding Practices. 

Part 2 provides guidance for data collection and tabulation of the IYCF indicators. It is intended for use by managers of population-based surveys that collect information on feeding practices among infants and young children under 2 years. The document includes a sample questionnaire, sample interviewer instructions, suggestions for adaptation, and instructions for calculating indicator values. 

Part 3 presents values for the IYCF indicators for 46 countries, using DHS data collected between 2002 and 2008.