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Review

Invisible Pursuit: A Scoping Review of Global Policy for Continuity of Care of Vulnerable Infants Under 6 Months and Their Mothers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

1
Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
2
Emergency Nutrition Network, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 2DN, UK
3
Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Catholic University of Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium
4
Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town 7505, South Africa
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Children 2025, 12(10), 1328; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12101328
Submission received: 20 August 2025 / Revised: 5 September 2025 / Accepted: 26 September 2025 / Published: 2 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Global Pediatric Health)

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Worldwide, millions of infants under 6 months are at increased risk of poor growth and development, illness, and death. We investigated the coherence of global policy characteristics, vulnerability, and continuity of care, which guides the care of vulnerable infants under 6 months and their mothers. Methods: We conducted a scoping review according to PRISMA-ScR guidance. We included English publications with no time limit, applicable to low- and middle-income countries, sourced through Google Scholar, contacts, WHO and UNICEF databases, global networks, and agency websites. The search was conducted from August 2023 to February 2024. We identified 34 documents for review. We categorised policies into guidelines, namely, WHO evidence-based recommendations and multi-source guidance documents with implementation details. We consolidated 49 vulnerability descriptors into 28 vulnerability factors and four sub-groups. We did not assess policy quality. Results: We found rich but fragmented global policy guidance. Multiple terminologies create superficial differences and mask important ones. Growth appraisal was mostly limited to nutrition-oriented guidance and was lacking in health-centric documents. Continuity of care lacked scope and depth. WHO policies are out of sync with each other and the latest evidence on mortality risk markers. WHO procedures need to accommodate non-UN documents to leverage existing guidance potential. A living policy system to manage evidence-to-policy processes and policy interactions is needed. The WHO-INTEGRATE evidence for decision frameworks could help country-led adaptations, system-sensitive global support, and WHO methodological development. Conclusions: There are immediate opportunities for interdisciplinary policy cooperation. Action is urgently needed to secure coherent evidence-based policies for equitable and effective care.
Keywords: infants; malnutrition; continuity; scoping; policy; vulnerable; small; newborn; underweight; paediatric infants; malnutrition; continuity; scoping; policy; vulnerable; small; newborn; underweight; paediatric

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MDPI and ACS Style

McGrath, M.; Deconinck, H.; Wrottesley, S.V.; Kerac, M.; Smythe, T. Invisible Pursuit: A Scoping Review of Global Policy for Continuity of Care of Vulnerable Infants Under 6 Months and Their Mothers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Children 2025, 12, 1328. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12101328

AMA Style

McGrath M, Deconinck H, Wrottesley SV, Kerac M, Smythe T. Invisible Pursuit: A Scoping Review of Global Policy for Continuity of Care of Vulnerable Infants Under 6 Months and Their Mothers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Children. 2025; 12(10):1328. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12101328

Chicago/Turabian Style

McGrath, Marie, Hedwig Deconinck, Stephanie V. Wrottesley, Marko Kerac, and Tracey Smythe. 2025. "Invisible Pursuit: A Scoping Review of Global Policy for Continuity of Care of Vulnerable Infants Under 6 Months and Their Mothers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries" Children 12, no. 10: 1328. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12101328

APA Style

McGrath, M., Deconinck, H., Wrottesley, S. V., Kerac, M., & Smythe, T. (2025). Invisible Pursuit: A Scoping Review of Global Policy for Continuity of Care of Vulnerable Infants Under 6 Months and Their Mothers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Children, 12(10), 1328. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12101328

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