Opinion Leader Research on Barriers to Optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices in Indonesia

A significant number of children in Indonesia still suffer from multiple child malnutrition problems— stunting, underweight, and wasting. To overcome this issue, the Government of Indonesia has stipulated various regulations, policies, and programs on infant and young child feeding (IYCF), which promote the improvement of maternal and child nutrition. In addition, Indonesia has also committed to reaching the 2025 global nutrition targets adopted by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in 2012. Despite these commitments, the Indonesia's Demographic Health Survey 2012 reported that only 42% of infants are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life; and 63% of children aged 6–23 months are not fed appropriately based on the World Health Organization's IYCF recommendations. Without a deeper understanding of the barriers to improving IYCF practices, it will be hard for Indonesia to achieve its nutrition targets in the future. This study was designed to: 1. Identify barriers to political and public support for IYCF, particularly breastfeeding 2. Identify possible solutions to these barriers 3. Recognize channels of communication and points of engagement with opinion leaders