Abstract Introduction: Globally, only one in six children receive a minimum acceptable diet (MAD). This study was designed to determine the association of complementary feeding (CF) indicators and household food insecurity and anthropometric status of Afghan children aged 6-23 months. Methods: We selected 300 children aged 6-23 months old in this cross-sectional study through convenience method from governmental health facilities and hospitals in Kabul, Afghanistan. Three 24-hour dietary recalls were collected from mothers for CF practices information. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food security questionnaire was used through interview method. Results: 59% of children received timely introduction of CF. MMF, MDD and MAD were met by 87.7%, 44.7% and 42.3%, respectively. There was association between food security with MDD (P=0.003) and MAD (P= 0.004). There was association between (Length for Age Z-score (LAZ) with MMF [OR 2.73; CI (1.20-6.20); P = 0.016]). Also, there were relation between Weight for Age Z-score (WAZ) with MDD [OR 2.78; CI (1.73-4.46); P = 0.0001], Weight for Length Z-score (WLZ) with MDD [OR 2.94; CI (1.77-4.87); P = 0.0001] and (LAZ) with MDD [OR 1.74; CI (1.09-2.78); P = 0.019]. There was a connection between WAZ and MAD [OR 3.12; CI (1.93-5.05); P = 0.0001], WLZ with MAD [OR 3.33; CI (1.98-5.61); P = 0.0001] and LAZ with MAD [OR 1.84; CI (1.15-2.94); P = 0.011]. There were significant associations between WAZ, WLZ and LAZ with household food insecurity [OR 3.66; CI (1.44-9.32); P = 0.006], [OR 4.83; CI (1.96-36.25); P = 0.004], [OR 5.16; CI (2.11-12.56); P = 0.0001], respectively. Conclusion: This study proved high associations between complementary feeding indicators and anthropometric measurements and household food insecurity. Key Words: Complementary feeding, breastfeeding, Food insecurity, anthropometric status, children 6-23 months, Afghanistan

Background: Adolescent girls in Afghanistan have high levels of food insecurity, yet little is known about their dietary intakes. Therefore, we aimed to study the association between dietary protein intake and anthropometric indices among adolescent girls in Kabul, Afghanistan. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 380 adolescent girls at 16 government schools from eight randomly sampled zones in Kabul. In July 2019, we assessed dietary intake, body mass index (BMI), physical activity and socio-demographic variables. Binary logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations between different protein sources (plant protein, animal protein and total protein) and stunting, wasting, overweight and obesity. Results: Participant mean age was 14.8±2 years and mean BMI was 19.8±3.6kg/m2. The mean intakes of carbohydrates from plant proteins, animal proteins and total proteins were approximately 59.4±19.6gr/day, 22.3±7.3gr/day and 81.8±27.1gr/day, respectively. Students with more highly educated fathers consumed more plant proteins (P<0.05). Participants had overall high dietary plant protein intake (mean 34.8±22.0g/day), with 66% from grains, cereals and flour. We did not find an association between dietary protein intake and stunting (OR=0.92; CI: 0.55-1.54), wasting (OR= 0.98; CI: 0.55-1.78), overweight (OR=1.18; CI: 0.62-2.25) or obesity (OR=0.84; CI: 0.19-3.58). Conclusion: While prior research suggests that dietary protein intake is associated with improved nutritional and anthropometric indices, dietary protein intake in this study was not associated with stunting, wasting, overweight and obesity. Further investigation is needed on this topic.