is a more reliable method. An actual increase in
the low birthweight prevalence from 7.1% in
2006 to 12.4% in 2009 is unlikely, because there
were no major adverse events to cause such a
rapid change during this short, three-year period.
The Asian economic crisis in 1997- 199821 was
too remote to have had such an impact in those
years. However, the prevalence of low birthweight
in 2009 based on the birth registration
records of 9.6% (range across the 76 provinces
across the country of 8%- 13.2%) compared to
12.4% in the 2009 Reproductive Health Survey
is a major discrepancy, which warrants further
in-depth investigations.
Second, exclusive breastfeeding referred to
infants who received only breastmilk and vitamins,
mineral supplements and medicines during
the last 24 hours. The 2006 survey did not apply a
standard questionnaire as the 2009 survey did.
As a result, the prevalence of 25.1% in 2006
is unreliably high. The figure of 15.5% in the
2009 survey should be more reliable. However,
the 2006 MICS, based on a similar definition to
the one applied in the 2009 Reproductive Health
Survey, reported 5.4% exclusive breastfeeding
among children below 6 months old. There was
therefore progress in the prevalence of exclusive
breastfeeding between 2006 and 2009.