Background Inappropriate complementary feeding practices significantly contribute to undernutrition among children under 2 years of age in India. However, there is limited up-to-date evidence on the prevalence and factors associated with complementary feeding practices to guide policy actions at the subnational level in India. We investigated the regional prevalence and factors associated with complementary feeding practices in India. Methods This study used a sample of 69,464 maternal responses from the 2015–16 National Family Health Survey in India. The prevalence of complementary feeding indicators was estimated using data for each administrative region, namely: North ( n = 8469), South ( n = 12,828), East ( n = 18,141), West ( n = 8940), North-East ( n = 2422) and Central ( n = 18,664). Factors associated with complementary feeding by region in India were investigated using logistic regression Generalized Linear Latent and Mixed Models (GLLAMM) with a logit link and binomial family that adjusted for clustering and sampling weights. Results The study showed a wide variation in the prevalence of introduction of solid, semi-solid or soft foods (complementary foods) among infants aged 6–8 months in regional India; highest in the South (61%) and lowest in the Central and Northern regions (38%). Similarly, minimum dietary diversity (MDD) was highest in the South (33%) and lowest in the Central region (12%). Both minimum meal frequency (MMF) and minimum acceptable diet (MAD) varied substantially across the regions. The factors associated with complementary feeding practices also differed across Indian regions. Significant modifiable factors associated with complementary feeding practices included higher household wealth index for the introduction of complementary foods in the North and Eastern India; higher maternal education for MMF and MDD in the North and Central regions; and frequent antenatal care visits (≥4 visits) for all indicators but for different regions. Conclusion Our study indicates that there are wide differences in regional prevalence and factors associated with complementary feeding practices in India. The improvement of complementary feeding practices in India would require national and sub-national efforts that target vulnerable mothers, including those with no education and limited health service contacts.

Antenatal care (ANC) reduces adverse health outcomes for both mother and baby during pregnancy and childbirth. The present study investigated the enablers and barriers to ANC service use among Indian women. The study used data on 183,091 women from the 2015–2016 India Demographic and Health Survey. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression models (using generalised linear latent and mixed models (GLLAMM) with the mlogit link and binomial family) that adjusted for clustering and sampling weights were used to investigate the association between the study factors and frequency of ANC service use. More than half (51.7%, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 51.1–52.2%) of Indian women had four or more ANC visits, 31.7% (95% CI: 31.3–32.2%) had between one and three ANC visits, and 16.6% (95% CI: 16.3–17.0%) had no ANC visit. Higher household wealth status and parental education, belonging to other tribes or castes, a woman’s autonomy to visit the health facility, residence in Southern India, and exposure to the media were enablers of the recommended ANC (≥4) visits. In contrast, lower household wealth, a lack of a woman’s autonomy, and residence in East and Central India were barriers to appropriate ANC service use. Our study suggests that barriers to the recommended ANC service use in India can be amended by socioeconomic and health policy interventions, including improvements in education and social services, as well as community health education on the importance of ANC.

Background Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) has important benefits for both the mother and child. In India, no nationwide studies have examined patterns of EBF in the past decade to inform national and subnational breastfeeding programmes. The present study aimed to investigate the regional prevalence and determinants of EBF in India. Methods This study used a total weighted sample of 21,352 from the 2015–2016 India National Family Health Survey. EBF was measured as the proportion of infants 0–5 months of age who received breast milk as the only source of nourishment, based on mother’s recall on feeds given to the infant 24 h before the survey. The prevalence of EBF and other breastfeeding patterns were estimated by region, and multivariable logistic regression that adjusted for clustering and sampling weights was used to investigate the association between the study factors (child, maternal, household, health service and community factors) and EBF by regional areas in India. Results This study indicated that wide differences in the prevalence of EBF and other childhood feeding practices exist across regions of India, where Southern India had the highest EBF prevalence (79.2%) and the North-East reported the lowest (68.0%). EBF prevalence decreased with infant age, dropping faster in the South (43.7% at 5 months) compared to the North-East region (54.0% at 5 months). Similarly, substantial variations in key determinants of EBF were evident by region, where higher birth order was the only common factor associated with non-EBF across all regions. Key modifiable determinants of non-EBF included higher maternal education in the South and belonging to rich households in Central India, while those for EBF were higher maternal education in the Central region and frequent antenatal care (≥ 4) visits in Northern India. Conclusion This study demonstrates wide variations in regional prevalence and determinants of EBF in India. Improving EBF participation in India would require multifaceted national and subnational efforts that include dedicated funds and the establishment of appropriate policy and interventions that are consistently monitored and evaluated. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13006-019-0214-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.